A New Kind of Someday
by suedesigns101
Summary: Steph has dreamed of her someday. With a new love she is ready to begin her adventure.
1. Chapter 1

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 1

I was so happy. I didn't think I could ever be this happy. Ric and I had a relationship; in fact, we had more than a relationship. After being together 6 months he had proposed and I was wearing the most beautiful heart shaped diamond engagement ring. We hadn't set a date; we were just enjoying being engaged. We had called Julie and she was so excited for us, we were planning a trip with her over Thanksgiving. In the middle of the night Ric's cell rang. He sat on the edge of the bed and I could hear him quietly talking into the phone. He hung up and turned to me and I could tell by his face he was going on a mission.

"I'm sorry Babe But I am leaving in less than an hour and this mission is going to last at least a year maybe more. I don't know if there will be any check ins. Please stay here and let the guys watch out for you. I want you to start planning the wedding, I know we don't have a date but you can pick out the style of invitations, where you want the reception. I want you to plan your dream wedding and remember cost doesn't enter into it at all. I love you and we will have our someday remember I will always love you."

He packed his things, picked up his weapons, phoned Tank and then he was gone off to save the world.

I decided I would put this time to good use. I talked to Tank and asked him if I could help with the dreaded paperwork. He was more than ready to teach me all that it encompassed. I soon found out I had a talent for the paperwork and I really enjoyed the contracts and meeting with the clients. Tank concentrated on Security checks, installations, Bond Enforcement, managing schedules, surveillance and stakeouts. It was a good system and we increased our profits by 25% with the new clients we were able to bring in and the successful recapture of FTA's.

This still left me a lot of spare time. Ella, Louis and I ate dinner together almost every night. My family had disowned me for my engagement to Ranger. Ella and Louis, who had no children, had for all intents and purposes 'adopted' me. I started watching Ella cook each night while we talked about our days. It didn't really look that difficult and we had such a fun time I started helping. Before I knew it I learned how to make Ric's favorite dishes. I even learned how to make flan and tres leches cake. I was so excited that when he came home I could cook dinner for him.

Ella is Ric's mother's best friend. Once a month Ella and I would go to Newark to see Maria and Ricardo Sr… They were wonderful people and I was so happy to become part of their family. Maria showed me all the pictures of Ric growing up and she told me stories about him and Rafe his brother and his 4 sisters. They welcomed me into their family treating me like one of their own girls.

Louis talked to me, about politics, books, music and sports. He and I have had many opposing points of view and had lively discussions but, he never makes me or my opinions feel worthless. Sometimes I ended up agreeing with him and sometimes he changes his mind when I explain my viewpoint and then we have the times of respectively agreeing to disagree.

I started to feel a confidence in myself that I had never had before. Of course, the Merry Men were good for my ego. Tank always praised me for my "spidey sense" and in the research I did, Cal calls me Angel and so does Hector. Hector watched over me and teased me- he also taught me how to say a bunch of dirty words in Spanish that I could use on Lester. I will never forget Lester's face the first time I cussed him out in Spanish. Every Saturday morning Hector gives me a Spanish lesson. I know a lot of Hector's secrets by observation of this very complicated man.

Lester is Lester, my best friend, my ego booster when I get down; he is always there for me with a hug and a kiss on my hair. I would trust Lester with my life and I have. I can't imagine my life without Lester. Bobby teases me and supports all the new things I am trying.

I still had too much time on my hands so I enrolled in a creative writing class. I did all the assignments online and then I went to Rutgers to take my tests. My assignment for the semester was to write a fiction story based off of events in my life. I had no idea what I would write. One night Les and I were just sitting around with Bobby and Tank and they were asking me about my class. I told them about my assignment and how I didn't know what I was going to write about my life was so boring. Les looked at me like I was crazy.

"Beautiful, has being stalked, kidnapped, tortured, chased, car bombs and having your apartment firebombed become so hohum that you dismiss them. What about us, Bobby, Tank and I look like dashing heroes ready to rescue you from any danger that exists!" he laughed.

We all laughed but that comment stuck in my mind and as I laid in bed hugging Ric's pillow I started writing a story in my mind. I couldn't sleep so I would sit in bed and write about one of my stalkers. I really started having fun writing and I had all the facts of every FTA so I didn't have to go anywhere to research the story. I couldn't go to sleep until I added to my story each night after writing Ric a letter. I couldn't mail them so I put them in a box and saved them for when he came home.

I took some time off at Thanksgiving and flew to Miami to spend time with Julie like Ric and I planned. When I got back to Trenton, Tank had a very official looking envelope for me. He said they had scanned it 'just in case' I put it to the side to open up later. I got right to work on the paperwork that Tank had allowed to accumulate. Tank stopped by my desk "I really missed you Steph."

"You just missed me doing your paperwork" I laughed.

"No, I really missed you and so did the guys. When you are here we are a family, someone cares about us. Did you notice when you came in that within 15 minutes everyone here on the floor stopped by to see you? When each team comes back today they will check in with you. You are the heart of us little girl."

"By the way this was just delivered by Fed Ex - what's with all this special mail?"

"Got me Tank, I'll get to it later, seems I have a desk top full of stacks and stacks of paper to go through."

At six o'clock I shut down the computer, grabbed the 2 envelopes and headed up to Ella and Louis's. When I entered their apartment I was engulfed by the feeling of being home. The warmth and the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen, the hugs and kisses and the easy discussion about Julie and Rachel filled me love.

I brought out the envelopes and opened the first one Tank gave me. I opened it and read the first paragraph and started to cry. Immediately, Ella had her arms around me "What is it honey, can we help?"

"Ella, my grandfather Mazur had a brother. I loved Uncle Jake he was so nice to me. I remember always sitting on his lap and telling him how I was doing in school and how I wanted to learn to fly. He used to tell me I could do anything I set my mind to. My parents would tell him to stop filling my mind with such nonsense. He would smile and tell me he would help me make my dreams come true. One Sunday he and my Grandfather, Dad and Mom got into an argument and they told him to leave and never come back. I ran and hid in his car I wanted to go with him. We were a couple of blocks away when he found me in the car. I climbed into the front seat and begged him to take me with him but he couldn't. He told me he loved me like I was his daughter and one day he would come back and helped me fly. I heard from him occasionally he would send a letter to me at Mary Lou's house. He would tell me all the places he had been and he would send money orders so I could buy myself things. Ella, I never saw him again, this letter is informing me that he passed away. I have to call this lawyer because I am his sole heir."

"I'm so sorry Steph, are you going to call?"

"Yes, because it also says he left me letters and a journal and I would love to have them."

"Well, let's open the next envelope."

"Oh my God Ella! My professor for creative writing sent my book that I wrote for my assignment to his friend a publisher and they want me to come in to see them. They recommend I bring a lawyer to discuss a contract. This can't be true I just wrote the book based on some of the stalkers I had. What am I going to do?"

"You are going to call a lawyer and set up an appointment. Steph you so deserve this."

"I don't know a lawyer Louis"

"Sure you do how about Hunter, Rangeman's lawyer. If he can't do it he will recommend someone, call him first thing in the morning and make an appointment."

"I'll do it on one condition. I don't want anyone to know anything about either letter. I want it to be between just the three of us until I find out what this all means."

Ella looked at me "Sweetheart, we would never betray your trust."

The next morning I called my professor and talked to him. He explained that the book was so good he couldn't pass up the chance to have his friend see it. He knew I considered it just an assignment and would never have pursued it any further. He offered to help me in anyway I needed. I thanked him and told him I would keep him up to date with everything that went on. I asked him not to tell anyone I wanted to keep this all very private.

My next call was to Hunter. He took my call immediately.

"Stephanie, how are you?"

"Hunter, I'm fine but I have some personal legal issues and I need your advice. I need to see you as soon as you can fit me in."

"Do you want me to come to Rangeman?"

"No, I need to keep this private. If that presents a problem could you recommend another lawyer?"

"How about I take you to lunch?"

"Hunter; I think this is going to take longer than an hour."

"I hope so Steph, I've missed you."

"I will meet you just tell me where."

When I got off the phone I looked at Ella and Louis. "Now I just have to figure out how to get to the restaurant without being tracked. I know you are wondering why I want to keep everything secret. I really don't know what to say except I have a feeling I need to."

"Is it your Spidey Sense Steph?"

"Yes, but it's not the same as it usually is."

"Stephanie, trust your gut." said Louis "Now this is how we are going to get you to the restaurant without being tracked…."

Ella and I went through the clothes I wanted to wear to lunch with Hunter.

They were filled with trackers from the buttons on my Jacket and blouse to the belt. My shoes had trackers and my purse, watch, earrings, hair clip and much to our astonishment my engagement ring. I sat down and cried. I had no freedom at all. Ella went out with Louis, supposedly to get supplies and bought me a totally new outfit from the skin out for me to wear to lunch.

The day of my lunch with Hunter Ella put some of the trackers on her and put my engagement ring in her zippered pocket. There was a huge storage area in the sub-basement where there was also parking for the Rangeman employees cars. I was 'helping' Ella do an inventory of this storage area. I would get in Louis and Ella's car in the backseat and Louis would drive me to a car rental place where he had reserved a car under his name. After lunch I would return the car and he would pick me up. He had bought two cell phones for him and for me so that I could call him and it would not be traced.

I arrived on time at the restaurant outside of Newark where Hunter was waiting for me. Hunter gave me a kiss and hugged me and the women in the restaurant did a collective sigh. I could understand why. Hunter was 6'3" had black hair and blue eyes and he was breathtakingly gorgeous. He was a former Ranger so he was a spectacular specimen of a man.

"How are you sweetheart? Did you have any trouble getting here? By the way you look gorgeous is that a new outfit just for me" he said teasingly.

"Yes, actually it is new and I had Ella buy it for today's lunch. You see all my clothes have been laced with trackers."

"What do you mean all your clothes? Do you have a new stalker?"

"No, I can only surmise that Ranger ordered trackers to be put on me and my belongings before he left. He even had one put in my engagement ring. I can't imagine I have any on me now since everything is new but, we will find out in about 15 minutes when they come into the restaurant."

"Sweetheart, that's way to invasive, you have a right to your privacy."

"Hunter, I have no privacy, last week I went to a drugstore to buy some feminine hygiene products and they followed me into the store and down the aisle. I thought that was embarrassing but yesterday Bobby and Tank both reminded me to make an appointment to get my birth control shot I can feel my face getting red now just thinking about it."

The waitress came and Hunter ordered us some wine while we looked at the menu.

"When Ric gets back I have to talk to him I can't and won't live like this."

"What did you bring me in those two envelopes?"

I handed him the first one about Uncle Jakes death. Hunter started reading it and looked up at me from time to time. The waitress came back and we order our food and Hunter went back to reading. Finally he put the envelope down and said "Do you understand what this is Steph?"

"Yes, my Uncle Jake died and he left me his letters and journals and I want you to help me get them."

"Sweetheart, your Uncle Jake left you everything you are his sole heir. He left you his Bed and Breakfast on 500 acres which is waterfront property on the Chesapeake Bay, he left you his marina with a 60' yacht, sailboat, speedboat and numerous jet skis, he left you 3 airplanes and a helicopter, he left you 8 different businesses including a security firm in Baltimore and he left you in different accounts, stocks, bonds, mutual funds etc over $500 million dollars. He also left you a house in Miami and Jackson Hole Wyoming."

"No Hunter he left me his letters and his Journals."

"Steph did you read this?"

"Hunter, all I want is…"

"Steph, you are getting them along with everything else. His instructions are very clear, this is an unbreakable last will and testament and his specific instructions to you are 'Fly Stephie Fly!' He's also has in a separate account the money for all inheritance tax and any other fees."

"Hunter, I have never even had two nickels to rub together you've seen the cars I drive.."

"Well, that's in the past you have a fleet of cars now."

"Can you be my lawyer and work with me on this and what's in the other envelope?"

'Now, what's in the other envelope?"

I pushed the envelope to him and took a sip of the wine.

He read the other letter, put it down and said "You mean to tell me you wrote a class assignment on one of your stalkers and they want to publish it."

"Yes, but it was more than one stalker I combined some of them. I don't want anyone to know I wrote this. If they stalked a nobody what will they do if they find out who I am."

"Your absolutely right, your greatest security is you anonymity I will do everything to preserve that."

"You'll help me, you'll be my lawyer?"

"Of course, I will. I will call your Uncle Jake's lawyer and work everything out with him. Can you come to my office?"

"Only if there is no other way, I had to rent a car to get here today and here is my new phone number only you and Louis have it. I'm hoping to do most of our business on line, I'm buying a new laptop and by passing folders when you are in the Rangeman office. Do you think we can make that work?"

"We will do our best. Now let's eat lunch, drink our wine and have a nice time away from all your stress;"

Two weeks passed and Hunter and I met for lunch and discussed all the businesses and homes and everything that needed to be done. The publishing company that wanted to publish my book would not agree to total anonymity or refusal to go on a book tour. I was disappointed until Hunter called me and said he had brokered a deal with a new publisher. Uncle Jake's best friend Skip owned a publishing company and he agreed to all my requirements. He lived on the adjourning property and couldn't wait to meet Jake's Stephie.

I met Hunter for lunch to sign the publishing deal and after we talked more business we always relaxed over lunch and laughed and discussed any problems I had. I had a proposal for him that I had been thinking about and discussed with Ella and Louis. After looking at the brochures for the Bed and Breakfast and wishing that I could get away with Ella and Louis to visit it I finally got up the nerve to ask him what had been on my mind. "Hunter, I know that all of this is way more work than you bargained for with all your other clients. I really feel that I am taking advantage of you and I was wondering if you would consider becoming the sole counsel for all my businesses. I know it would mean giving up your private practice but I think we could do wonderful things working together. Will you consider it? We could negotiate a salary and all the benefits you want. I feel safe with you and you have become a real friend I know I can trust you."

"I will give it a lot of thought Sweetheart, I'll get back to you. Now what else is bothering you."

"It's the guys, they are avoiding me and having all kinds of private meetings behind closed doors. I can hear them yelling at each other. When I asked Tank he mumbled and walked away from me Rafe, Ric's brother, was in the office today and he practically slammed the conference room door in my face. I don't know what's going on but something is."

"We have a meeting tomorrow at 9 am at Rangeman I'll see what I find out this afternoon."


	2. Chapter 2

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 2

JE owns them and very graciously allows us to borrow them

The meeting started at 9 am I forgot one of the new contracts for the installation and I stepped out of the conference room. As I started back in I heard Ric's voice, they had set up a telecommunication feed between the offices and my heart stopped, he was home. I stopped in the doorway, closed my eyes and said a prayer to God thanking him for Ric's safe return… When I opened my eyes I saw the guys shifting uncomfortably, Lester stood up and then I heard Ric say that he had been back for 3 weeks resting and relaxing and then he laughed. "Yeah, I've been on a great if you know what I mean R & R before I come home." I thought to myself it must have been a really tough mission he just needed time to adjust to civilian life again. I admit I was a little hurt that he hadn't called and then I realized that they knew he was home and didn't tell me. I looked around and they were all staring at me. My cell phone rang the Batman Theme; I quickly answered it and heard "Babe" I took the phone and put it on speaker and laid it on the table.

"Hey Babe! Well, I finished up with the meeting. Put on some of the lingerie we bought yesterday and I will be over to fuck your brains out this afternoon. Be prepared to have me rip it off your luscious blond body."

Lester picked up his laptop and threw it against the wall. Tank stood up and reached out for me. I backed away from him. I looked at them in their faces most of them knew what was going on, some of them were in shock - it was evident that they didn't.

Rafe stood up and said "Steph… I don't…

I turned around and walked out with Ella and Louis right behind me. Ella put her arm around me and guided me toward their apartment. When she closed the door and locked it I realized that it wasn't only Ella and Luis but Hunter and Hector was there also. Hector walked up and put his arms around me and said in perfect English "I will kill him and it will take a long time. He will suffer for hurting you my angel."

"No, Hector."

"I am quitting I will not work for such a bastard. I will stay with you and protect you."

"You can stay with me. Are you willing to move you and your sister and come with me?"

I turned around, took a deep breath. "Hunter, I am leaving tonight, who wants to go with me?"

Louis stepped forward and said "Is there any doubt that Ella and I would ever let you go without us?"

"My sister and I will join you in starting a new life."

"Hunter will you make the arrangements. I have to get out of here before someone tells Ric and he comes. I never want to see him again."

"Steph, as your friend I want to accept your offer of being your sole counsel we will negotiate the salary later. I will set everything up for tonight but, first I have to go back to the conference room and sever my ties with Rangeman."

There was a soft knock on the door and Bobby and Lester came in. Bobby was holding his medic bag.

"I don't need any thing from you Bobby. Get Out!"

"Steph, I need to tell you something. When you were in the hospital 2 years ago when you were shot; Ric had me put a tracker in you."

He had lots of trackers on me I know that."

No, he had a tracker put **in you."**

"**In me! You put a microchip in me like you would a dog! Get It Out of ME NOW!"**

"I will take it out right now. All the core team has them and it has saved your life 2 times in the past 2 years."

"I don't care get it out now!"

Bobby numbed the spot in the base of my neck and removed the tracker.

"I'm sorry Steph, this whole situation has sickened me. I have tendered my resignation effective immediately I am going back to Medical School where maybe, I hope to God I can do some good. Hunter, you know I have a clause in my contract that I can do that. I will be moving out tomorrow."

"I'm sorry at yelling Bobby but…with everything…Please give me a number and address where I can reach you."

"Beautiful, I didn't know what was going on. I knew Ric was back but, I thought he was resting. He had been on a very hard mission for a long time I didn't know anything about…"

"His Miami Babe…tell me the truth Lester does he have an Atlanta Babe and a Boston Babe? Does he call all his women Babe so he never says the wrong name?"

"Steph as screwed up as this is he does love you. Since he's been with you, you have been the only one."

"Are you sure Lester? Because, I just don't think that's true."

"Hunter, did I forget to tell you I tendered my resignation from Rangemen two weeks ago. Today is my last day."

"Lester, you know you have a non compete clause in your contract. You can't work anywhere in the Security Business for 1 year."

"Don't worry I have money. I have a Master's Degree in Finance. I just never want to see or talk to my cousin again."

"Lester, you can't walk away from family."

"Beautiful, I'm not walking away from family. I'm walking away from that smug bastard that once was my cousin. Steph, I have loved you since the first day Ric brought you here but, you only had eyes for him. So I stayed on the edges of your life just to have what little I could of you in my life. You wanted a best friend I am content with that. Let me still be your best friend."

Hunter looked at Les and me and then said "Lester, are you willing to move?"

"If it means being near Steph I'll move anywhere she wants to go."

"Okay, Let's go back up to the conference room so I can sever my ties with Rangeman then I will be back down and lay out what is going to happen. Hector, come up with us and Bobby bring the tracker with you. Steph, I want all your other trackers that you have collected from your belongings."

Hunter's POV

We went back up to 5 and the yelling and slamming coming from the conference room was intense. I walked into the conference room with Lester, Hector and Bobby. I stood and stared at all of them till the room became silent.

"Is she alright?" asked Tank

"**WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK ASSHOLE! HOW DO YOU THINK SHE IS!"**

Now just tell me this - were you in on this Tank!"

"NO! I didn't know he was shacking up!" shouted Tank

"Did you know that she has no privacy, every movement is tracked! **OF COURSE YOU DO. **She was even followed last week into the drug store while she picked out Tampons! I took the bag and spilled all of her trackers on the table and it was an unbelievable collection. Regular trackers, earrings, watches, buttons, belts, hair combs, lipstick, chapstick, mascara, her compact, her sunglasses, shoes, boots, cell phone, her purses, 3 hairbrushes, bracelets and her heart shaped diamond engagement ring. I put my hand out to Bobby who gave me the paper towel holding the micro chip still with her blood on it I slammed that down on the table. "He even had her **WITHOUT HER CONSENT IMPLANTED WITH A MICROCHIP IN HER NECK!"**

The air was filled with shouts and profanity. "I am severing all ties with Rangeman. Find yourself another God Damn Lawyer. Rangeman files will be returned today" and Hunter left the conference room.

Bobby stepped up and said "I am resigning from my position at Rangeman as of today. I am returning to Medical School."

Lester stepped up "I turned in my notice two weeks ago. Today is my last day. Ranger you are no longer my cousin I am done with you."

Hector stepped up, knew that this was all being taped, looked straight into the camera and said in perfect English "I quit you mother fucking bastard! You hurt Angel Watch your Back!"

And so it continued…Cal, Hal, Woody, Binkie, Brett, Ram, Vince, Manny and everyone else who worked for Trenton Rangeman.

When they walked out Lester said softly that Steph wanted their secure phone numbers and addresses. They wrote them down and handed them to Lester who asked them to return to the conference room tonight at 7:30.

They nodded and turned to empty their desks and apartments.

The only people left in the conference room were Tank and Rafe.

"Rafe, my contract says I have to give one months notice."

"So when did you tender your resignation Tank?"

"Well, I figure it will be 30 days before your brother shows up tomorrow and I beat the shit out of him."

"Let's leave all these trackers where they are. I can't believe the fucker even put a tracker in her engagement ring. I think the bloody micro chip on the bloody towel makes a nice statement don't you?"

"What are you going to do Tank?"

"I don't know, I don't have to work another day in my life but 35 is way to early to retire. I'll do whatever Steph wants me to do and if she needs money she can have whatever she will let me give her. Now I am going to go down and beg for her forgiveness."

"I'll go with you."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Ella the only thing I want to take is Rex and my cookie jar. I will take 1 outfit to change into, everything else we need we will buy. I don't want anything else."

"Well, that makes the packing easy doesn't it Louis."

"Hector, I want you to go in the bathroom and take those tattoos off. You no longer need them. Then you go and pick up your sister and pack what you want and come back here. Okay?"

"Yes Angel but how did you know the tattoos were fake?"

"Sometimes you didn't put them into the exact same spot." She smiled at him and hugged him "I also know some of your other secrets. Now, don't worry about anything. I will replace and buy whatever you and Jessie need. Hector, trust me on this I will explain everything when we get to our destination. Okay, Hunter what have you set up?"

"Well, first I hired a couple of movers and they are at my office right now, My associate is pointing to the Rangemen file cabinets and everything will be brought over within the hour; Steph, I had already decided to leave my firm when you asked me to be your sole counsel so I packed all my law books with whatever personal items I need. That has been done and it is in storage where it is not traceable."

"I've arranged for two cars to pick us up here after you say good bye.

The plane is arriving at 8 pm at a private airfield. We will load and leave as soon as possible. I have scheduled 3 stops at 3 different private airfields in case anyone tries to follow. They won't know which stop you got off. But, we will continue on to the airstrip on the property. There is a runway there and a helicopter pad."

"Hector, what we need you to do tonight is put the camera on a loop so that no one sees the cars pull in or when Steph and the rest of us are exiting the building. I don't want them to see us leave. Can you do that?"

"Lester, do you want to go with us tonight?" Steph said softly.

"Yes, I'll follow you anywhere Beautiful."


	3. Chapter 3

A New kind of Someday

Chapter 3

JE owns them and generously allows us to share them with her

I own Hunter - I am not that generous

Xxxxxxx

Tank and Rafe knocked at the door. "May we come in?"

"Where is she?" asked Rafe

"She finally broke down Ella's with her." replied Hunter

Tank looked at Hunter "What can I do? I don't know what you are planning but I want in. After I beat the shit out of Ranger I'm done."

"Tank, you have been his partner for years what make us think you won't do his bidding now?"

"The Guys will tell you I have fought him tooth and nail on how he has treated Steph. I carried out his orders but I didn't like it. What finished me today was her face. She was walking back in the room with the contract when she heard his voice. There was such joy in that beautiful face and she leaned against the doorway and closed her eyes and I watched as she mouthed the same prayer she had been saying almost everyday in the Catholic church near Newark with Ric's abuela praying for his safe return. Today she mouthed thank you for his safe return. Then I watched her face when she heard her phone ring the batman theme and how her face reflected her heart breaking with his message for his Miami Babe. I never want to see her heart breaking again - that's why I have no respect for the man that was my comrade and friend. He is nothing to me now."

"Rafe" Hunter said "Ric is your brother, what I want you to do now is leave while I talk to Tank. I don't want you to know anything, that way you will have plausible deniability you can't lie to your brother if you don't know what is and will happen. I know you love Steph and this is going to kill your mom and dad and sisters but, Stephanie is the most important thing right now and she is my priority."

"I understand, do you think she will ever talk to us again?"

"You know what a big heart she has. Do you really think she would turn her back on you, your mother and father and sisters and especially your abuela.

She will find her way back in to their lives but, it will take her time. You all had become her family after her family disowned her. When she reflects back on today her heart will break in that she lost another family one that truly loved her. You see she told me all about it."

"Hunter, this is going to kill my parents they love her. I'm not sure what they are going to do when they learn what Ric did to her. I'm going to call them tonight and tell them. Right after I call and let him know what he did and what he has lost."

"Rafe, don't make that call to Ric till tomorrow morning ….besides he had plans for tonight I doubt you could reach him." Hunter extended his hand "I will be in touch with you soon." and Rafe walked out the door.

"Tank, this is what I want you to do…."

About 4 pm Steph woke up. She walked out into the kitchen where Ella was. "Ella are you ready to experience one of your dreams because it starts tonight."

Ella smiled "We may not have planned this but let's put our trust in God because I think this was his plan all along. We are all instruments of God and that was what your Uncle Jake was and your professor sending in your manuscript. The letters arrived the same day within minutes of each other and your feeling that you wanted to keep this all to yourself except for 3 people. Stephanie look at the divine guidance in this and know that this is God's plan for you."

"Now, I have laid out an outfit because I know where you are going do you want me to go with you?"

"No, I'm going to see if Lester will go with me."

Steph showered and dressed and walked over to Lester's apartment. His belongings were gone. She didn't have a cell phone any more so she went up to the 5th floor. Aside from 2 contract workers there was no one else on the floor. She heard Lester's voice in Tank's office. She knocked on the door interrupting them. Tank jumped up and held out his arms and she went to them and they wrapped around her as she started to cry. He whispered in her ear. "As soon as I take care of a few items Hunter asked me to do I will be with you. Now wipe your tears."

She turned and faced Lester "Les will you take me someplace please?"

"I'll take you anywhere you want Beautiful."

"First, I have to make a stop to pick up something and then we can go. I'll give you directions on the way."

They arrived at their destination. Lester was confused but he asked her if she wanted him to go with her and she nodded yes. He went around and opened her door and held her hand and they walked across the lawn.

He looked at Steph and her face was pure agony he put his arms around her and held her as she knelt down. She placed the flowers on the fresh sod; put her hand on the headstone that read Edna Mazur Beloved Grandmother of Stephanie. Born 1930 Died 2010. "They didn't even call me when she died. Do you know who called me - Grandma Bella. She said she died in her sleep. It was peaceful. Grandma Bella said my Grandma got the last laugh on them. She had preordered her funeral and headstone and had it written into her unbreakable will. The headstone had been made up and was waiting for the final date and was to be waiting here in place for the burial. She had a covering over it and after the last prayer the Priest uncovered the headstone. My mother fainted and fell into the grave. I know my Grandmother was laughing her ass off in heaven. I wish she was still alive and she would be joining us on the great adventure."

Lester lifted her up and wiped her tears "You are the bravest person I have ever met. I don't know what you and Hunter have planned but, I just feel honored you are letting me come along for the journey with you. Let's go back now and get ready to start Stephanie's mission."

At 7:30pm all Rangeman were assembled in the large conference room waiting. Two contract workers were manning the consoles. Tank entered the control room and told them to go to dinner away from the Rangeman building. Hector entered the control room and made some adjustments.

The gates to the Rangeman garage swung open silently and two black Humvee limousines entered. If you were looking at the console there was nothing there to see except the normal SUV's parked in the garage.

Stephanie walked into the conference room with Ella, Louis and Hunter. She looked around and they all saw her swollen eyes and tremulous lips.

She said quietly, "No one could have asked for a better family than this. I love all of you, the brothers of my heart. I will always love you, until we see each other again." she reached out and hugged and kissed each one whispering in their ears. They weren't wearing blank faces tonight they were wearing the faces of men who were losing a piece of their heart and soul.

She turned and stepped on the elevator with Ella, Louis, Hunter and they waited for Hector to join them. They took the elevator down where Lester, Bobby and Hal had loaded up everything they were taking with them.

They got in the Humvees and left the garage slowly. When they turned on to Haywood it was if the building sighed, the heart and soul of Rangeman was gone.

In the conference room there was nothing but silence. Each man turned and left the building. The only man left was Tank and when the contract workers returned he left the control room, went to his office and shut the door.


	4. Chapter 4

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 4

JE owns them, I wish I did

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When we pulled up to the hanger Lester, Hecter, Louis and Woody started to load boxes and suitcases onto the plane. The plane was beautiful it was white and blue and it had the name Sky's the Limit Enterprises.

"Hunter, this is a really big plane did you need to rent one this big?"

"Sweetheart, I didn't rent a plane this is one of the ones you own."

Lester, Woody, and Hector walked over and stood there. Lester said

"She owns this plane and she has more?"

"Yes she owns this plane and 2 Lear Jets and a helicopter. We need to leave as soon as possible; by the way Lester your pilot's license is still in good standing right?"

"Yes and so is my helicopter license - Whoa Beautiful you've got some fun toys!"

"I know my Uncle Jake wanted me to fly but this is too much Hunter"

"Sweetheart you have no idea - wait till you get home"

We boarded the plane and my mouth dropped it was luxury beyond belief.

The pilot came out and introduced himself and asked Lester if he wanted to be the copilot. I haven't seen Lester move so fast since Grandma chased him at a picnic.

"Steph, I knew his licenses were current. That's one reason why I'm glad he came along. Your uncle Jake piloted the planes and helicopter so now one of the things Lester can do is be one of your pilots."

"I've always wanted to fly."

"Why don't you take flying lessons Sweetheart?"

"Do you think I could?"

"Steph, you can do anything you want to now - the Sky's the Limit!"

I crawled up on the plane's couch and Ella suggested I lay down in the planes bedroom. I didn't want to be alone so I stayed where I was.

I woke up screaming and found myself wrapped in Hector's arms "its okay Angel I have you."

Lester had come out of the cockpit and kneeled down beside me "It's okay Beautiful nothing is going to hurt you from now on."

Hunter was standing there with Woody, Louis, Jessie and Ella was sitting next to me.

I knew I was surrounded by people who loved me but, my heart was broken and I was broken "You can't promise me that, nobody can promise me until this morning I truly believed that I was going to be happy and safe and it was a LIE. I built my life around someone and it all was a lie."

Ella looked at me and said "Your right Steph you built you life around someone and it was all a lie - because he lied. We are never going to let you build your life around anyone again. We are going to help you build your life, to stand by yourself and when you are strong enough and confident enough you will find someone with his own strength to stand along side of you. You will lean and rely on each other, never again will you submit and allow someone to bend you and control you. We all love you and we are here for you in whatever capacity you need us."

I leaned against Hector again and fell sound asleep.

I woke up staring at a canopy on a bed. The sun was shining and I smelled bacon I stretched and noticed I was in my pajamas. I remembered this room from the brochures we had and realized I was in my new home. I found a pair of jeans and a sweatshirt and my bra and panties laid out so I went into the bathroom took a long hot shower towel dried my hair and pulled it into a pony tail put on my clothes and went into the hallway and followed the smell of bacon and the voices and laughter. I sat down at the top of the stairway and looked down the staircase, the place was absolutely gorgeous. You could look right out the windows and see the water.

Lester walked into the foyer grinned at me and ran up the stairs, threw me over his shoulder and ran down the stairs. I was yelling and was trying unsuccessfully to grab the back of his pants to give him a wedgie. He started laughing and twirling me around and put me down on a chair at the largest table I have ever seen. There they were my friends - all smiling at me. There was also one man with the widest grin and sparkling laughing eyes and I was sitting next to him. He reached over and touched my arm and said

"I am Skip honey."

I looked deep into his eyes and put my hands on each side of his face and said "Skip, you loved my Uncle Jake with all your heart didn't you?"

"I did for over 30 years. That's what your Grandfather and parents got in to an argument about that day when you tried to run away with him. He told them he loved me and they couldn't accept that and banned him from the family. Your grandmother however, accepted us and wrote letters to him and kept him up to date on all your escapades. But, we will talk about that later, right now you have to eat this wonderful food your Ella prepared.

She filled my plate and she and Louis went back to sit on stools by the window. I stood up and turned to everybody and then to Ella and Louis "My family sit together to eat, Ella and Louis get your butts over here at the table we are having a family discussion while I eat my chocolate chip pancakes."

"Ella, was that your feisty 'daughter' speaking to us and issuing orders? Who is this woman?" asked Hunter.

Ella looked at me and smiled and said "I would like you to meet the new Stephanie."

While I was eating I noticed a couple of loaves of crusty bread and jars of homemade jam. I took a slice and moaned. It was brick oven bread and it was warm. Skip just stared at me and said your Uncle Jake moaned through his whole meal when the food was good. With that said, the whole table broke into laughter including me.

Lester said laughing "Well, now we all know where the moaning comes from, it was inherited from her Uncle Jake."

"In the last twenty four hours our lives have changed. With what happened this time yesterday I found out who truly loved me and stood by me. You all promised to go with me and keep me safe. We all also know that Ranger will probably do everything in his power to find me. I don't want him to find me at least not until I am ready for him to find me. Hunter and I kept telling you we would explain it as soon as we arrived. We should have told you last night but clearly I was exhausted."

Skip started laughing. "You were so exhausted that Lester, Hunter and Woody started arguing who was going to carry you up to bed. Stephie, I didn't know how they were going to settle it, they are all huge with guns strapped on their hips and they started to play Rock, Paper, Scissors for the honor. By the time they decided, Hector had already picked you up and carried you to your room - smiling the whole time."

"He cheated!" said Lester

"Thanks Hector"

"Any time Angel" and he winked at me making me laugh.

"There are actually two parts to this but I will start with how we got here.

When I got back from visiting Julie I had two envelopes waiting for me. One was from a lawyer telling me my Uncle Jake had passed away and I was his sole survivor and he had left everything to me. I read the letter but only picked up one or two things, Uncle Jake had left me letters and his journal. I called Hunter and asked him to meet me to talk about the contents of these letters but, other than Ella and Louis I didn't want anyone to know. I knew about all the trackers except the one in the back of my neck." Skip sat up straight and I patted him on the hand and said I would explain it later.

It took over three hours to explain everything, stopping to answer their questions. "So, I am a multi millionaire who has never had two nickels to rub together and I own a Bed and Breakfast. I also own a bunch of businesses that Hunter has a good handle on. This is what I propose. I want you to go over everything with Hunter and you pick what ever job or business you want to work in. You can stay here on the farm to live or we will find you a new home. I want you to take you time to think and choose your dream."

"I already know what Ella and Louis want. Ella has always wanted to run a Bed and Breakfast and Louis has always wanted to go back to his roots and run a farm. So that is what they will do. If you choose to stay here in the houses or bungalows we will provide a cleaning service. You will buy your own clothes because Ella isn't the designated shopper any more" and everybody laughed. "Guests will be served breakfast in the dining room.

This kitchen is huge and I would love it if we all ate breakfast here together. The other meals we have to work out how we are handling it."

"There is so much to decide and I know we will make the best decisions because we are a family. The others are slowly making their way here sending out false trails."

"I meant what I said last night I will never live again with multiple trackers, body guards and under constant surveillance. We will have to work something out but, both Hunter and I feel my anonymity is my best security. Let's face it you guys are so handsome you attract enough attention Now, since we have all the time in the world I think we need to take a tour of our new home. Skip explained that I owned 500 acres and he had the adjourning 500 acres."

I stood up and walked out the front door and walked down the front lawn and onto the pier. The Chesapeake Bay is amazing.

"Maryland is called the land of Pleasant Living, that's why your Uncle Jake and I came here. Stephie, I was your Uncle's partner in life and in business. I feel like your are, in essence, my niece too. I hate to see the heartbreak in those beautiful blue eyes that are exactly like Jake's eyes" He put his arm around my shoulders "You are surrounded with love little Stephanie."

"Why did you and Uncle Jake live in separate homes if you loved each other so much?"

Skip laughed "We didn't live separately. But, your uncle had a funny quirk that he need to have a space all his own to retreat to."

We started to walk up to the house and Skip was telling me how we could crab off the pier or take one of the boats out. I looked up and saw Woody and he was standing with a man I didn't know. I felt myself stiffen in spite of myself and Skip told me to relax it was the Vet who was going to look at the horses.

"Steph, I would like you to meet Dr. Jim Lucas."

"Jim, this is Stephanie, Jake's niece."

"It's very nice to meet you Stephanie, please call me Jim."

"It is very nice to meet you Jim. I am going to go into the house and see if Ella needs help."

"Skip, she has so much pain in her eyes. Is there anything I can do?"

"Right now she just needs time to heal. Let's go over and look at the horses."


	5. Chapter 5

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 5

JE owns them, I borrow them

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Ranger was in a bad mood. Things had not gone as he planned last night he was ready for some no holes barred sex. Jenny had been a virgin and he had schooled her in how to please him in return he pleasured her till she was mindless with ecstasy. She was disease free so he could go without a condom. He had made sure she was on birth control but it failed and she was pregnant. He had ordered her to get an abortion but she refused because she was Catholic and he called his office and had the form filled out that she could not hold him responsible in any way or claim any of his money. She cried but, she signed the form in front of a notary public. As he was leaving he told her the room was paid for till the morning check out.

He knew it was time to get up to Trenton and his Babe. Jenny had been a nice diversion but now it was time to settle down with his Babe. He was furious that Rafe had called him at 4 am and told him that the company jet was fueled and ready to go He was needed immediately in Trenton. His Jag was waiting in the hanger. He drove into Haywood and noted that most of SUV's were in the garage. He smiled, they were going to throw him a party welcoming him home. He knew Steph was responsible. He parked the car and took the elevator to the 5th floor when the doors opened he expected to see his men standing at attention for him. there was no one there. In the control room were two contract workers- what the hell.

"TANK! Report!"

Tank walked out of the main conference room and walked toward him and that was the last thing he remembered till he woke up handcuffed and tied to a chair.

"**What the hell is going on!"**

"Relax and enjoy the show." Before he left Hector had put together a show The flat screen television turned on and there was his Babe, she was smiling and looking at his picture, then it showed her behind his desk that was clear of all paperwork and Tank was kidding her that they should have put her in charge a long time ago. She laughed and said she was learning all of this to help Ric when he got home so they could have more time together. He found himself smiling and reminding himself how beautiful she was. Next, was a set of pictures of her qualifying with 100% for the Rangeman's gun test. She looked so proud of the certificate Ram handed her. There was a video of her doing self defense training with Tank and she took Tank down!

The show went on showing her having a birthday party with his family and them giving her the traditional hope chest and his Abuela handing her the handmade quilt she had sewed. There were pictures of the wedding invitations she had chosen and the flower arrangements. The letter stating that the Catholic Church that his family worshiped in would do everything in its power to accommodate the date they picked when he made it safely home.

There were pictures of Babe with Ella and his mother in the kitchen teaching her how to cook his favorite foods. He felt guilt start to fill him.

There was a video of her yesterday. The date imprint had been left on.

It showed her standing in the doorway and in the background there was his voice and the joy that was on her face and she closed her eyes and said a prayer thanking God for his safe return. Then, his voice came on louder and he was saying something about R&R and that he had to go. His image was frozen on screen and Steph's phone on the table started to ring with the Batman theme and he knew "Tank turn it off that's an order turn it off now" but Tank didn't turn it off. His voice came on…

"Hey Babe! Well, I finished up with the meeting. Put on some of that lingerie we bought yesterday and I'll be over to fuck your brains out this afternoon. Be prepared to have me rip it off your luscious blond body."

The whole time he was saying that there was a picture of Steph's face going from Joy at his greeting of Babe to shock and then to see her heart break right on camera. They left that in a still frame.

Rafe carried in gaily wrapped packages "These are yours from Steph for the first Christmas you missed."

Tank carried in presents wrapped in Birthday paper.

Rafe carried in another pile of Christmas presents "These are yours from Steph for the second Christmas you missed."

Tank carried in a box and lifted the lid. "These are the letters she wrote you every night before she went to bed even though she had no where to send them."

His mother entered the room carrying a wedding dress. "This was the dress she was going to wear when she married you."

His sisters entered carrying her veil, they were crying.

His father walked up to him and showed him the heart shaped diamond engagement ring and then back handed him across his face. "No son of mine would ever treat the woman he loved like this!"

"Untie me! I have to find her! I have to explain!"

His mother was standing in front of him, she slapped him across the face, "**SHE'S GONE!"**

Tank walked in with the bag. He spilled it on the table and put the bloody micro chip and bloody towel in front of him on the table. "You'll never find her."

"Those files in the corner are from Hunter; he was at the meeting and severed all ties with Rangeman."

"Bobby has left Rangeman to go to medical school. Lester gave his notice two weeks ago he is gone, Hector gave his notice two weeks ago and he is gone.",

Tank went down the list of all that had left and quit.

"I gave my notice 30 days ago and today is my last official day."

"One more picture to show you before I leave. This was taken yesterday before she left, along with your phone call she got another call from Grand ma Bella." It showed Steph kneeling in front of her Grandmother's grave and her voice saying that they hadn't even called to tell her that she had died.

The pictures were now playing in a loop over and over.

They kept me tied up for 2 hours watching my Babe go from happiness to a broken heart and I was responsible for everything. At first I sat there and plotted how I would find her and 'explain' my way out of the situation. I would make excuses - the mission, post traumatic stress etc. I then planned how I would find her and win her back starting with small gestures and then the final grand gesture with the engagement ring but, a new even bigger ring.

I started looking at the things on the table. The Christmas presents she bought when she knew I was gone, the birthday presents, it was Steph and her never ending hope. The letters she wrote to me every night even though she didn't have anywhere to send them. I looked at all the trackers and especially the bloody micro chip that I had implanted in her and I was ashamed because I realized this wasn't as much about keeping her safe as it was about controlling her.

I looked at the flower arrangement and the invitations to the wedding and then I looked at the wedding dress. The dress she had chosen to walk down the aisle to be my wife. I could picture her in it walking to me with love on her face and then I realized I had lost her. I knew I would stop at nothing to find her.

Tank stood at the door shook his head and walked out. I had lost my Babe and my best friend. I had lost all my friends I didn't even know if I had lost my family.

After another hour, my father and mother returned to the room. My mother's face was swollen from crying. I realized I had cost her not only Stephanie but her best friend Ella. My father didn't say a word he untied me and unlocked the handcuffs, he put his arm around my mother and indicated for me to follow them.

We got on the elevator and went up to 7. Walking into my apartment was like a physical blow. Everything was the same but different. I could see the loving touches added here and there. There were pictures of us on every table, pictures of us with my team, and someone had put a collage of us kissing in the elevator together. I walked through the apartment, her clothes were still in the closet and dresser, her things were still in the bathroom, her jewelry was still in her girlhood jewelry box. The only things missing was Rex and her cookie jar. She had left everything behind but I could still smell her perfume.

My mother was holding a letter from Ella. She read out loud a portion. "The only thing Stephanie wanted me to retrieve from his apartment was Rex and her Brown Bear Cookie Jar. She did not want anything else. Louis and I decided to take the Hope Chest with Abuela's quilt. You gave it to her with such love and now her whole world is shattered. We decided to take the chest and keep it from her till we see her smile again, wake up looking forward to what the day will bring and then Louis and I will give her back the hope that you wished for her. Our hope is that we can make her see and believe that she has so much love to give and deserves some man's love in return. As I held her in my arms while she cried I heard her say 'I will never trust a man again with my love. I thought Ric was different but he was worse." I do not tell you this to add any more anguish to your lives. I tell you this because I want you to know that you my dear friend and Ricardo have given her your love and the hope chest to remind her even though she may think it is empty there is one thing in it of hope to add to. Good bye my beloved friends we will think of you everyday while we hold the daughter of hearts. Love, Ella and Louis."

"Ricardo, we are going home now we have to tell your Abuela what has happened. We didn't bring her with us because her physical heart could not have taken this. She loves Stephanie and she met her everyday at our parish church to pray for your safe return. We will always love you but, we will have to look to God and his divine wisdom to forgive you for what you have done to Stephanie. Your mother and I have one request of you. Let our Stephanie find her peace."

"I'll give my Babe time…."

"**NO!**" yelled Rafe "You will not insult Stephanie by calling her Babe!"

"Do you know what she asked DO YOU! She wanted to know if she was your Trenton Babe and if there was a Boston Babe and an Atlanta Babe since there was a Miami Babe. She asked if you called all the women You had been with Babe so that when you were with her you wouldn't call her by someone else name!"

My mother gasped as Rafe continued. "She wouldn't tell me where she was going because she wanted me to be able to stay and help with the business. She did not ask one of your men to quit. They quit because she was their sister and she was the heart and soul of this building and of them. It is a shell now there is nothing here that is worth anything especially not You, you Bastard! I'm not staying here to help you and I'm not going back to Miami to the office there. You are not worth helping. I am out of here and done with your bullshit."

I had lost everything, for what, a few days of selfishness. My world, Stephanie, was gone. I knew I had to find her to beg her to forgive me.

If I knew my friends and men they were with her, they loved her and would protect her from any threat and now I knew they viewed me as the biggest threat to her and her happiness. I had to find her and I wouldn't quit till I did find her…..


	6. Chapter 6

A new kind of someday

Chapter 6

JE owns them, I borrow them and I politely return them

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Hunter and I took over one of the 4 bedroom bungalows for offices here at home. One bedroom was his office, one was my writing office and the third was for all the electronic stuff that Hunter seemed to think we needed.

I had a laptop - I was satisfied.

When I got writer's block I would wander into Hunter's office and he would look up and smile, get up and grab two pints of Ben and Jerry's, 2 spoons and we would go out on the porch, eat our ice cream and look out on the Bay. I didn't know that Hunter could be such a sneak he would point out sailboats and his spoon would dig in to my chosen flavor. One day I was really down and he grabbed my hand, put me into his car and drove to the marina. We walked around looking at the different boats and this one beautiful sailboat's name was Stephie. Hunter laughed and said my uncle certainly wanted everyone to know who his niece was.

"Let's go for a sail sweetheart." we sailed across to Annapolis. It was a wonderful afternoon of poking in the little shops. My book was featured in a little bookshop's window. We went in and bought some books for us to share. Hunter attracted the usual attention from the girl behind the counter and as usual I was ignored. She regaled him with the story of the mysterious author of But It's Not My Fault (my book.) Hunter egged her on and she told us it was written by a horribly scarred recluse who lived in Montana. Hunter, winked at me and told her he had heard it was written by a frustrated, unmarried man from Chicago. Another customer said she heard the author was an inmate in a jail in California and all proceeds of the book went to the families of her victims. I said nothing because I was having all I could do not to laugh out loud.

Hunter called and talked to Ella and told her we would be back later. We were going to stay in Annapolis for dinner.

It was a wonderful afternoon and evening. I had never been on a sailboat before. I loved the feel of the wind and freedom, it has been a long time since I had laughed like that. It was wonderful right up to when we got home and Hector, Lester, Woody and Skip met us and just glowered at us.

"What?" I asked

"You didn't tell us you were leaving, we were worried, we should have gone along with you Darlin." said Woody

"Excuse me? I didn't realize I had to ask permission to leave home!"

"Beautiful, we were just worried."

"I was with Hunter who took me sailing and to Annapolis to cheer me up. Hunter called Ella to let her know we were staying for dinner. I don't ever have to check in with anyone ever again." I yelled at them and I walked off leaving them standing there looking at Hunter.

"What! You can't keep her in a beautiful cage - that's not what she wants. She wants to live her life for the first time in her life, she wants her freedom and she wants to laugh and feel the wind in her hair and her face. Today, was the happiest and most relaxed I have ever seen her. I am not sorry for taking her on the sailboat and to Annapolis. I'm not sorry I got to be a part of it. You had better get with the program or you will lose her you fucking idiots" shouted Hunter.

That night I had another nightmare. It was night time and I was walking and feeling really happy and then I knew someone was following me. I felt the hands grab me around my waist and neck and then I heard whispering and dogs were barking and snarling I was screaming stay back stay back.

"I've got you Beautiful, no one is going to hurt you, I've got you!"

I felt his arms and heard his words and I opened my eyes he was holding me and murmuring to me that he wasn't ever letting anyone hurt me.

"I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I woke you up."

"Was this the same dream Beautiful?"

"Yes, but it was different too. You need to go back to bed I'll be fine."

"I'll stay with you till you go back to sleep." Lester held me in his arms. I woke up again at 4am and I thought he was sound asleep, I was still in his arms and I felt safe for the first time in a long while.

"What was different about the dream Steph?"

"The dogs, they weren't going to hurt me they were there to help me, but I couldn't see them. Les, there were 3 men this time."

"It will be okay, it was a dream."

"No Les, it felt like a warning."

"Then we will prepare you and us to be ready Beautiful."

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It turned out one of my Uncle's buildings was in the heart of Baltimore and had a roof that we could land the helicopter on. I toured the building with Hunter, Hector, Les, Cal and Hal. They looked at the building from a security angle. Hunter decided that we should use the top floor for our offices and went about looking for a staff. Hunter wanted me to have a big office. We compromised on a very small office adjourning his. He said it reminded him of a closet it was so small. My title was special operations assistant. I thought that had a nice ring to it - it said absolutely nothing. No one would know in what capacity I worked, which was a good thing since I had no idea what I was doing.

I could also see the room where people were waiting for the interviews. There was one beautiful woman who was tearing down everyone in the room waiting for their interviews. She said she was more educated, prepared, experienced(yes I rolled my eyes at the experience comment) and she was willing to "help" Hunter in any capacity necessary. Hunter entered my office from his and wanted to know what I was doing. I told him I wasn't going to interfere with who he hired but my gut told me this woman was trouble. He just looked at me smiled and said okay.

There was an another woman who was helping everybody, she had such a gentle but competent way about her. I asked Hunter if I could sit in on her interview. He walked over and closed the door turned to me and said "These are your businesses, I am your lawyer and friend and I work for you why are you asking permission?"

"Hunter, I am not used to being allowed to make any decisions."

"Well, you are now, this is your business I am here to help you now come in and we will call her in to be interviewed."

She walked in all grace and dignity. She had the kindest eyes. Her name was Elizabeth Layn and she liked to be called Beth. She looked Hunter straight in the eye when answering his questions. She had been Uncle Jake's administrative assistant. He looked at me once or twice to see if I had any questions.

"Beth, do you really want to work with us?" I asked her.

She laughed and looked at Hunter and then turned to me and said "I really want to work with you Stephie. You have your Uncle's beautiful blue eyes and his gentle way."

"Do you like working in Baltimore?"

"No I'd rather work closer to my home on the eastern shore."

"Where do you live Beth?"

"I live about 2 miles from your houses."

"Okay, Hunter and I have set up an office on the place you can work there most of the time except when Hunter needs you here. Is that okay?"

"Thank you"

"Okay, where can we go to get a really good corned beef sandwich with kosher pickles?"

"I know just the place."

"Steph do you …." Hunter started to ask.

"It's okay Hunter she is carrying concealed - I'll be fine I have the panic button and the pen."

"How did you know I was carrying?" said a surprised Beth.

"I was a bounty hunter - I'm in the process of getting my permit"

"Your uncle had me trained to act as a bodyguard for you." said Beth.

"Really…" and they left talking about the best places to buy clothes and shoes.

Lester, Hector Cal and Hal came into Hunter's office a little later.

"Where's Beautiful?"

"She left with Beth." replied Hunter

"Whose Beth?" asked Hal

"The woman Steph hired to be our at home administrative assistant, that was Uncle Jake's administrative assistant, who recognized Steph by her eyes."

"You trusted her?" asked Hector

" Steph did and Steph also noticed Beth was carrying concealed."

"WHAT and you just let her go!" yelled Cal.

"Absolutely, Steph trusted her and she knew where to take Steph for a corned beef sandwich and kosher pickles." laughed Hunter.

For two hours Lester and Hector paced….

They heard the laughter before they saw them…Steph stepped off the elevator wearing a beautiful new dress, shoes and hat accompanied by an attractive woman. They were each carrying several bags. Steph's hair had been cut and her nails were bright red. The smile was one they hadn't seen in months she and the other woman were laughing as Steph walked up and hugged all of them and introduced them to Beth.

"I brought you back the best corned beef sandwiches you have ever eaten along with a six pack of beer but, I ate your pickles and I'm not saying I'm sorry because they were good." said Steph laughing at the expressions on their faces.

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.

One by one they were arriving, Brett and Zero showed up the same day. Binkie roared into the complex on his Harley the next day. Vince showed up 3 days later with Ram towing a trailer with 2 Harleys and 2 jet skis. My guys were coming home and it was apparent they looked on it as home.

"What about you Darlin'? I haven't seen you do a whole lot of smiling and laughing." said Woody.

"I will eventually I promise. I'm starting another book that will fill more of my time. Beth, Ella, Jessie and I are going out tomorrow."

"You know Steph it kind of amazes me how diverse we really are. Hal is a master cabinet maker. Vince apprenticed as a plumber in high school. Cal is a mechanical engineer. Woody is a Horse Whisperer, He's even going along with Jim to help him with sick horses. Skip wants to expand the amount of horses we have here."said Brett.

We were all sitting around the large table in the kitchen that had another 2 leaves in it tonight. There was lots of talk and laughter. Steph just watched them all and was so glad they were here some still hadn't arrived and she missed them. She especially missed Tank but, maybe he stayed with Ranger. They had been friends for so long.

She heard her name called and looked up…they were all looking at her.

"What?"

"Are you going to eat Darlin' you haven't touched a bite. If you lose anymore weight the wind, that blows off the bay, is going to pick you up and carry you away."

"Okay I'll try to eat a little bit."

"Speaking of the wind off the bay, I've been doing a lot of thinking I think we should look into wind turbines to harness the wind for power. What do you guys think?" said Cal. That started a lively discussion on the pros and cons of the windmills zoning, placement, that the power company would be required to buy back excess power. Cal, Vince and Hunter started to get in to the specifics and that's when they lost me again. Lester put his arm around me and asked if I was alright, I assured him I was when we heard a knock on the back door.

Jim walked in with a big box. He looked at me and asked if we would do a big favor for him. They had raided a puppy mill and rescued 35 dogs. Some were so ill and in such bad shape they had to be put down. One of the dogs was a Boxer most of her puppies had died and she was so ill he had to put her down too. "I have the two puppies that survived and I need someone to help take care of them. There is another puppy in the truck, do you think someone could bring him in. It's going to require a lot of TLC to feed them and handle them." I stood up and looked in the box, my heart melted at the sight. They were light fawn colored, with white faces and white stocking feet. I picked them both up they weighed next to nothing and put them up to my face and they had their tails docked and their little stumpies just wagged. They both snuggled into my neck. That's all it took - I was a Boxer Mommy.

Woody came in through the back door holding a brown and white huge puppy.

Lester jumped up and said "Is that a St Bernard puppy? How big is he?"

Jim laughed, "He is 7 weeks old and weighs 17 pounds. He's unbelievable-almost housebroken he will only go to the bathroom on grass or hay. I brought puppy formula and bottles to feed the boxers. The St. Bernard is weaned."

"How often do they eat?" asked Binkie.

"Usually, at their age and as small and malnourished as they are as often as they want to eat. Do you mind?" asked Jim.

Lester laughed "Do you honestly think Steph is going to let you walk out that door Jim with her puppies?"

"What are you going to name them Beautiful?"

"They are going to name themselves Lester - you'll see." I told him smiling.

I didn't see it but Lester did. Jim winked at Skip when he went to his truck to get the formula and puppy chow.

Everyone helped me with the puppies. I don't think they put their feet down on the floor once. They were carried out, carried in. Carried to their food bowl. Louis built a small pen in the kitchen so they would be close since most every thing that happened ended up in the kitchen being discussed and laughed about.

The nightmares returned with a vengence...and I was terrified.


	7. Chapter 7

A new Kind of Someday

Chapter 7

JE owns them and makes oodles of money, I borrow them and make none

A special thanks to Jago-ji who volunteered to help keep me on the straight and narrow.(as much as anyone can do that lol)

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The nightmares were back. Lester ended up every night waking me from them and holding me till I went back to sleep. He stayed with me till morning. I felt safe in his arms, but I worried he wasn't getting enough sleep.

"Les."

"Hmm.."

"I feel bad you have to spend every night holding me and comforting me from these nightmares. It's not fair to you. I'm sorry."

"Beautiful, what are you talking about? I get to hold you in my arms all night long and you feel bad about me doing this? I go out of here every morning ready to do back flips because you have been in my arms. Steph, I love you, always have and always will. I will take whatever you will give me and if it's being your comfy pillow to chase away the nightmares - I am the right man for the job!"

He looked down at me and smiled his crooked grin, his green eyes reflected his smile crinkling in the corners. I couldn't help myself. I reached up with my hands and put them on each side of his face and I kissed him. I didn't know who was more surprised, me for kissing him or him for being kissed, but I was kissed back thoroughly and I liked it.

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I had talked to Ella, Louis, Lester and Hunter. As big as the kitchen was, measuring 40' x 20' it wasn't big enough. I wanted to double it in size. We need to add another dishwasher and we needed a commercial stove. I wanted a huge fieldstone fireplace with a raised hearth and a wood box that could be filled from the outside. Ella wanted a walk in freezer. With what Louis was planning to grow and the amount of meat that was eaten, she also thought we needed a walk-in refrigerator. I thought we should add on a sunroom and I wanted to put in an elevator in case we had a handicapped guest. The guys wanted to add a panic room. Yes, we women think of comforts and making a home 'a home' and the guys think of protecting the women and home. Things haven't changed at all in generations.

I decided to go into our Baltimore office where Hunter had set up the office for the extra lawyers and staff we needed. We would interview architects there before we brought them out to the property. There was a helipad on top of the building, Lester and Hunter would do the security checks on the architects and their staff. I didn't want the staff to know that I was the "boss" so I would appear to be Hunter's operations assistant. The staff already knew Lester, and between Hunter and Lester, it was a wonder any work got done by the female employees, not that I could blame them. I was very comfortable using a legal pad and blending into the background. Three prominent architects with their assistants were scheduled along with one architect that was professionally licensed, but just starting out. I had seen his sketches and was intrigued. They had passed the intense security check(unbeknownst to them).

After assuring myself the puppies would be taken care of, Lester, Hunter, Beth and myself took off in the helicopter. It was my first ride in one and I was terrified. I felt like I was going to fall out. Lester's grin was so wide and he kept reassuring me; then he started pointing out the sights Fort McHenry, Camden Yards, home of the Orioles, the M&T Bank Stadium where the Ravens played, the Inner Harbor, Aquarium and Science Center. I wanted to come back and explore my new city. We landed and Lester helped me out. I was grinning as much as Lester and Hunter. It was wonderful to start feeling free and alive like I had the day we sailed to Annapolis.

We listened to all the presentations when they were over, I rejected two of the firms outright because when I asked a question, they didn't answer me, because I was an assistant. The new architect, Brian Smythe, had incorporated every thing I envisioned with some extra. He asked questions and answered mine. He left us a set of plans and we told him we would get back to him.

I felt the tingle in my neck. I hadn't felt it in months. "Lester, Ranger is near. I have to get out of here."

"Okay Beautiful! Hunter, …"

We could hear Ranger in the reception area demanding to see Hunter.

"I want to see him immediately!" Beth intercepted Ranger and asked if there was anything she could do to help him. She knew who he was and was delaying him so I could get away.

"Hunter how do I get out of here? I don't want to see him."

"This way sweetheart, We had a panic room built in here for just such a circumstance. Lester, if you need anything beside what you are carrying it is in this locked cabinet. Her birthday is the combination."

Hunter shut the door and slid the panel over the door. Ranger burst into the room followed by Beth. "It's okay, Beth. I know Mr. Manoso."

"Where is she!"

"Where is who?"

"God dammit, Hunter. I have to find her and explain to Babe what happened."

"Well, I am sure your Miami Babe would be interested. Stephanie made it clear by leaving Trenton that she is not interested in anything you would have to say."

By this time, Lester had turned on the monitors and sound to record this whole confrontation. He was cradling Steph in his arms, rocking her while she cried. God, how he loved her. He would do anything to insure her happiness even if he was never happy again. He started talking to her in a low voice. He reminded her of all the sights she had seen and told her he knew she had owned skyboxes in both the Orioles and the Ravens stadiums.

He told her he thought about what she had said about the puppies naming themselves and he thought that she should name the little girl puppy Nix and the little boy Trouble. Because the little boy was always in trouble and the little girl was always nixing his adventures and she kept him in line. The St. Bernard puppy was so calm with the boxer puppies he should be named Job since he had the patience of Job. Steph laughed and hugged Lester and said she loved it! She looked up at him with tears and he wiped them off. Gently, he placed a light kiss on her forehead.

In the meantime, Ranger was getting frustrated. "Your receptionist said you were in here in a meeting."

"Well, they left. You probably passed them in the hallway. What brings you to Baltimore?"

"You."

"Me? What could I possible do for you?"

"Be my lawyer again. Be my friend again."

"No to both, Ranger. I can't and won't be your lawyer or your friend after what you did to Stephanie."

"Did you know that my whole staff walked out on me. Including two of my best friends Bobby and Tank, my cousin and my own brother.."

"She was the heart and soul of your company and when you betrayed her, you betrayed them. I was there that day. I watched her go from Joy to a heartbroken woman, was the Miami babe worth it?"

"No, if only I could do it over.."

"Well, you can't!"

"I worry that she is safe and well and has everything she needs."

"It's no longer your place to worry about her. You have to leave. I have nothing more to say to you."

"You know where she is, don't you! I felt the tingle in my neck when I walked in, like I used to get when she was near. Where is she!"

"If I did know I sure as hell wouldn't tell you, you Bastard - now get out of my office!"

Ranger turned at the last minute and looked at Hunter. "I will find her and if you do know where she is, tell her I'm coming for her."

Since Steph owned the building Lester and Hector had wired it with cameras. Hunter turned on the cameras and watched Ranger exit to the street.

He opened the Panic Room. He found Lester holding Steph on the floor while she cried.

"He's gone."

"Good, let's go home Beautiful. You have to tell your puppies what their names are."

Hunter picked up the presentations, Beth removed the DVD Lester had recorded and the four of them went to the roof. In a few minutes, they took off the helipad and Lester turned toward home.

Ranger heard the helicopter and looked up. It was a beautiful chopper, blue and white with a silver stripe it belonged to Sky's the Limit Enterprises.


	8. Chapter 8

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 8

Thank you to JE for creating wonderful characters

Thanks to Jago-ji for support and her punctuation advice!

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To see that smile on Steph's face again, Lester took them over Annapolis, the Naval Academy and Calvert Cliffs on their way home. He vowed to himself he was getting her out more. When Lester landed the bird, Ella was standing with Louis holding the puppies. Steph got out and knelt down and the puppies ran so fast to get to her they tripped over their feet and fell down. They picked themselves up and ran even harder, ears flapping in the wind and lofted themselves into her arms. She told them that Lester had suggested names due to their personalities. When she told them what they were, Ella, Louis, Beth and Hunter laughed and said they were perfect.

Steph walked back to the house with Ella. "Ella, Ranger was at the office today and wanted to see me. I didn't want to meet with him yet, am I a coward?"

"Of course you aren't a coward. He hurt you and you are healing and getting stronger."

"Ella, there is something else."

"What is it sweet girl?"

"I kissed Lester this morning, it surprised me and him…then he kissed me back."

"And…"

"I liked it and somehow it felt like the right thing to do. It scared me because six months ago I was planning to marry another man."

"Steph, you have known Les for almost four years, you have been coworkers, friends and then best friends. It is natural for you to have feelings for him. Relax and enjoy these new feelings. He's one of the best men I know and he cares for you with his whole heart."

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Hunter called Skip and told him he and Lester were on the way over and to call everyone to his house for a meeting. Lester took Louis aside and asked him to come if he could and not let Steph know. If he couldn't, he would fill him in later.

Hunter ran into the house where he was living to change. Then he and Les took the dirt bikes so Les could work out some of his anger and aggression with the speed and bumps of the bikes.

Everyone was there when they walked into Skip's house. Les was covered in dirt and mud and he was still seething. He apologized to Skip who waved it off. "What's up?"

Hunter walked over and popped in a DVD and they sat back and watched with the guys. They watched it three times. They didn't notice when Jim Lucas walked in and stood against the wall.

Then the guys did what they did best; they began analyzing the meeting.

Hunter analyzed Ranger's eyes going from the dark brown to black, which meant he was, in this instance angry. Les told them to look at the clenching of the jaw and the slight tightening of the eyes. Beth informed them of his seething under the pretense of being civil, and Hal noticed his fighter's stance when he was talking to Hunter. Vince pointed out the clenching of his fists in the last of the DVD when Ranger said '…Tell her I'm coming for her."

"Is he going to hurt Stephanie?" asked Jim. They all swung around to look at Jim.

Les said, "So much for being aware of our surroundings. We are getting out of practice - we need to remedy that for Stephs' sake. She knew the minute he entered the building just like she always did."

"Is he going to hurt Stephanie?" asked Jim again.

Skip yelled "**Is he going to hurt Stephie!**"

Lester said, "No, he won't physically hurt her - he loves her! He's angry because he lost her through his own fault - he knows that. He wouldn't hesitate to take her so he could convince her how much he still loves her, even though he was unfaithful. He walked into a room to save Steph and his daughter knowing he was probably going to die. Psychologically, Steph would be hurt now if they met. Once she gets her bearings back and builds her confidence, she will be okay. She was never given any encouragement by her parents especially, her mother. She lacks self confidence, but here she can pick and choose what she wants to do. I have put a lot of thought into how we can train her...right now, she wants to take flying lessons and get her license. Brett, are you still a licensed instructor?"

"Yes"

"Start her lessons tomorrow. I'm going to start explaining how to fly a chopper. We're each going to teach her how to take care of herself and we are going to make it fun. Jim, can you train her with the dogs so that when they grow up, they will protect her and she will know how to give commands to them?"

"Absolutely, the Boxers have been bred to protect. The Saint will do it by sheer love of his mistress and will protect till the death."

"Hector, I know you have shown Jessie a lot of your moves. Steph was learning, but since Jessie and Steph go shopping together, they should be taught how to have each other's back. Steph also needs to learn how to pick locks, hot wire cars and how to get herself out of handcuffs. Will you teach Steph these things?"

"Yes, I'll start tomorrow to teach Angel the things you've requested."

"Okay, this is the plan - we are going to give every tool and advantage that we know to Beautiful. If somehow Ranger or anyone else takes her, she is going to have a full arsenal of self-defense techniques to either get herself out of the situation or buy time till we get there. If this is okay with Steph, are you all willing to do this?"

There wasn't a dissenting voice in the room.

"We've been busy working on the houses and bungalows. I think it is time to set up a gym, a gun range, an indoor track and an indoor pool. The one exercise that Steph loves is swimming and we'd all benefit from a pool this winter. Let's throw in a sauna and a hot tub."

"Lester, whatever funds you need, they are yours. Steph wants you all to be happy she knows that these facilities will make you happy. We'll put it in a special account that you all can draw from."

"Instead of building a new building, can you convert that huge barn that isn't being used by the bed and breakfast. You could also put in a home theater and game room." suggested Skip.

"Hunter, when is Tank getting here?" asked Hal

"Well, it seems big guy took some time to go fishing and throw Ranger off his trail. He found a boat and bought it. He is sailing up the Bay right now and will be here tonight. I had Louis put some lights at the end of the dock for him. just in case it is dark when he arrives. We should get on back and "help" with dinner."

"Do you mean Hunter to sit and watch Ella and Jessie?" asked Hector laughing.

"No, I mean drinking a beer and start talking about the architects we met with today. Skip and Jim, are you coming?"

"Absolutely, I want to talk to Woody about two horses we are going to rescue tomorrow." said Jim.

"Count me in. I want to hear about the architects and I want to see Stephie when Tank comes in." said Skip. "I want to meet Tank."

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The laughing, conversation and eating lasted over 2 hours. After the table was cleared, the different presentations for the additions were gone over and thoughts were expressed. All of a sudden, the puppies went barking and growling to the front door. They stood there, feet extended, bodies rigid, hair on their backs raised, facing the door barking and making low growls. Stephanie went to stop and scold them when Jim reached for her arm.

"Stephanie, they are in the boxer's protective mode. Wait to see who is coming to the door before you give them a command to either keep protecting or to cease. Pick a word that you will use with them forever for this act. The word itself doesn't matter. It could be anything."

"How about the word 'enough' and I snap my fingers and point to the floor?"

"That's great. In the meantime, try to walk past them and see what they do."

As Steph tried to walk past them - they kept putting themselves between Steph and the door, still growling, the hair on their backs still rose in a ridge.

"That is excellent."

By that time, the visitor was at the door. He noticed the little puppies guarding Steph and stopped. She looked up and screamed, "Tank!"

Jim said, "Tell them it's okay, this is a friend, then tell them the key word."

Steph said, "Nix, Trouble, it is okay, **enough!" **she pointed to the floor and said, "**Sit" **and they sat.

Tank let himself in walked to the puppies. He put his hand out with the palm down and said "Good Dogs."

The puppies looked at Tank and Steph, sniffed Tank's hand and ran back to the kitchen. Job stayed watching Tank with Steph.

Steph threw herself into Tank's arms, crying. He wrapped his arms around her and said, "I've missed you so much, little girl, but I see you have replaced me with attack puppies."

"I could never replace you, Tank, I've just added to the family. Come on back to the kitchen with me."

When Tank went to walk behind Steph to the kitchen, he found he was dragging a St Bernard puppy that had latched onto his pant leg. The big man stooped down and patted him and told him what a good dog he was. He then walked into the kitchen. He was astonished at the size and when everyone was done doing the male bonding ritual of back slaps, knuckle bumps and complicated hand shakes, Steph introduced Beth, Jim and Skip. Tank sat down and Steph jumped on his lap. "First of all, what are the puppies' names?"

All the guys said, "Yeah, we want to know what their names are too."

"The little girl is Nix and the Boy is Trouble and the Saint is Job."

Lester laughed, "She always Nixes all the trouble he wants to get in to and the St. Bernard has the patience of Job with both of them."

Skip laughed, "Those are the perfect names."

Tank pointed to the presentations open on the table, "What are the plans for?"

Ram said, "Steph doesn't think this room is big enough and wants to at least double it!"

"We need a bigger table and I want to put in couches and easy chairs so we can all relax together if we want to, especially in winter around the massive fireplace I want built. You aren't dainty guys, you need lots of room to watch games and stretch out, right Ella and Jesse?"

Lester knew even if they did disagree, not one of them would tell her so.

He knew she was building a home for all of them, she wanted a happy, comfortable home and they were going to give it to her.

They went back to discussing the plans and Ella, heated some food up for Tank, who moved over to the breakfast bar with Lester and Hunter. They filled him in on Ranger's visit and Les told him he would show him the DVD tomorrow to get his opinion.

"She looks good."

"She still has a lot of sadness. It's especially bad at night with nightmares that are getting more and more frequent. I hold her till she goes to sleep or she will come down here and work on her next novel and bake. We always know from the amount she bakes how much she was up during the night. We wake up hoping that we don't find anything."

"Novel?"

"She never got around to telling you. She wrote a book about a stalker in her writing class, the professor thought it was fantastic and sent it to a publisher.

She writes under another name and Hunter got a deal where she never does any publicity. It's on the Best Seller List. She's signing a contract with Skip's publishing company. God knows he's not going to make her do anything she doesn't want to."

There was a burst of laughter and we looked over Steph was on the floor teaching the pups a trick. "Lester, come over here please? Just stand , Trouble, Job sit" and all three of the dogs sat. "Nix, Trouble, Job say hello" the dogs lifted their right paws to shake hands.

I shook their paws shaking my head and laughing. "So, you have polite guard puppies, Beautiful. I wouldn't have expected anything less. Do they shake paws before or after they attack?"

"Lester!" She jumped up and started chasing me out the back door, puppies following and barking, I was laughing and Steph was running after me and laughing till I turned around, grabbed her, threw her over my shoulder and started toward the pool."

"No. Lester, the water's cold!"

"It's a heated pool!"

Then I jumped in with her and we were followed by two puppies that couldn't swim. Cal and Hal jumped in to grab the puppies who were trying valiantly to do a choppy dog paddle - all splash -no float. Job swam past them like he had been swimming his whole life. Hal was holding Nix and telling her she need floaties on her legs. Cal was telling Trouble he needed to learn to swim because he wouldn't be a bad ass if he didn't. Suddenly, the pool was filled with laughing guys.

Steph turned to me, laughing. "Do they sell doggy life jackets?"

In the midst of all that craziness, she reached up and kissed me lightly. She looked at me again with surprise. I just smiled at her, thinking there is hope for us. God, I love this woman. I will take anything she wants to give me of herself.

All of a sudden, someone did a huge cannonball. Tank looked around and said, "I think I'm going to love it here!"


	9. Chapter 9

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 9

JE owns them and I borrow them

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Skip came over the next morning and joined everyone for breakfast. He looked at the counter where Steph always put her night baking - nothing was there. Skip smiled at Ella who just beamed at him as she took a batch of blueberry muffins from the oven and reached into the brick oven for the loaves of bread.

During breakfast everyone all discussed what was going on that day. Cal said the wind turbines were going to be delivered this week. They would be up and running within the week. Vince and Skip were discussing the installation with Cal. Skip told Cal and Vince some of their neighbors were interested in installing the wind turbines and wanted to talk to them. It looked like Cal and Vince were starting a business. Woody was talking about the rescued horses that Jim was bringing this morning. Hal said he was working on the cabinets for one of the houses they were refurbishing. Zero and Zip were taking the ATV's and posting no trespassing and no hunting signs.

Hector and Jessie were looking into colleges for her on the internet. Hector told Steph he needed to talk to her privately after breakfast. Hector and Steph went for a long walk. Hector explained how Lester asked him to train her and Jessie. Steph needed to learn how to pick locks, hot wire cars and anything else he could teach her to help her protect herself. While they were walking Hector held her hand and explained why he wanted to do this for her. They sat down on a grassy area in the orchard.

"Angel, I need you and Jessie to have as much training as we can give you both. I need you to have each others backs if I'm not there."

"Hector, I'll do this because I know this means a lot to you and to Lester."

"…and for you Steph."

"Hector; tell me about you and Jessie."

"I'm twelve years older than Jessie. When I was sixteen my parents were killed in a drive by shooting, they had been police informants on the drug trade in our neighborhood. I had been holding Jessie's little hand when it happened and I threw her to the ground and covered her to protect her. I didn't let her see our mother and father. I picked her up and packed as much of our belongings as I could and a few of her stuffed animals and dolls. I took my father's car and we left Washington DC forever. I knew if Social Services found out they would take Jessie from me so I slipped into the underground life and created a home for us. I had to act and look tough so I decided to wear a teardrop tattoo and lie about gang affiliations. I found a wonderful older woman who would watch Jessie while I went to "work" I became a very successful breaking and entering thief. I stole all the computer equipment I could and sat all day learning everything I could."

"I took Jessie to the zoo and museums in New York. I've home schooled her As she got older she attracted a lot of attention because as you can see she is beautiful and pure of heart just like you Angel."

"You're not gay are you Hector?"

"How did you know, no one else figured it out."

"Because, you're always looking at my ass Hector! No gay man would look at my ass the way you do!" Steph said laughing.

"Here I thought I had you fooled - you knew the tats were fake, that I could speak English and that I am not gay do you know anything else?"

"That I am glad you are my friend."

"I don't want to just be your friend Angel, but I, like Lester, will take whatever you offer us. You know that Hunter loves you also?"

"Hector, I love all of you I just have to learn to be independent and stand on my own two feet. I want to love and be loved again. I feel the pull to Lester, he has been my best friend for so long, but I only bring unhappiness to those I love."

"Angel, we have loved you for years and you have only brought us happiness. If it is Lester who you want, you could not choose a better man. Follow your heart Angel."

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"Hey Les there is a two hour back on the bridge because of an accident. Can you fly me in to the office today? I have a couple of meetings I can't miss."

"Sure, hey Tank want to ride along?"

"Sure"

We took one of the SUV's over to the hangar and Tank just stared "Who owns these planes?"

"Steph does Tank - she inherited everything from her Uncle Jake. To make a long story short Uncle Jake was the much younger brother of her grandfather Mazur. When Steph was six her grandfather, mother and father had a falling out because of Jakes's lifestyle." said Hunter.

"Skip?"

"Yes"

"Jake loved Steph and kept up with her through Grandma Mazur. He left his whole estate to his Stephie. She always told him she wanted to fly; so he left her the means to do it. She found this out the same day she found out about her book. She didn't want anyone to know except for Ella, Louis and myself till Ranger came homeand she told him. You know how that ended."

"I had no idea, I was willing to give her anything she needed as far as I knew she was broke." said Tank.

"We were all ready to step up and join forces to take care of her instead," said Lester. "Her whole goal in life is to create a home for all of us, encouraging us to do whatever we want to do."

"She's one hell of a woman. I saw her kiss you last night Les…what's going on?"

"Whatever she wants Tank I will settle for anything as long as she lets me in her life."

The trip by chopper took no time at all and Tank, Les and Hunter walked into the office laughing about the puppies being taught to "say hello" and stopped short.

Ranger stood in the office in front of the receptionist desk and turned around and stared at them.

"I thought I told you yesterday not to come back."

"I know she was here yesterday -I felt it. I wrote her a letter please give it to her."

"She wasn't here and I would not give her anything from you even if she had been here."

"She is close by and the proof is that Tank and Santos are here too."

"Ranger, I am just passing through, I bought a boat and I'm going fishing but you already know that since you had me followed." said Tank.

"Where is Lula?"

"In Trenton I imagine. I wanted to get away from Trenton and she didn't. I wanted to go up and down the East Coast and fish and she couldn't picture herself confined to a boat in spandex, so we parted friends."

"What about you Santos?"

"I've been what I have always been a player. There are some really great spots here -try Fells Point or maybe your Miami Babe will …"

Ranger threw the first punch I swept his feet out from him and landed on his chest with my hands around his throat. "Go back to your Miami babe you bastard, you lost the love of Steph with that phone call. I know you saw the show and heard the phone call you made when you dialed the wrong number. I'm glad Steph saw you for the bastard you really are before she married you."

Tank and I went up to the roof and Tank flew the chopper back home.

"What's the next thing Les? How many bodyguards does Steph have on her when she leaves the property?"

"None"

"Are you fffnnng kidding me - none!"

"She won't ever go back to how it was in Trenton. Her greatest protection is anonymity. She will carry a panic button and a gps tracker pen. When she goes out it's usually with Ella, Beth or Jesse. If she is buying heavy stuff one of us go with us to load whatever she buying."

"What about now that Ranger is so close?"

"We will see what she wants to do and offer suggestions."

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_"NO! No bodyguards! Besides I want to go to Florida and see Rachel and Julie. It's been over 8 months since I've been there and when I talked to Rachel today she said that Julie isn't feeling well. She also said she had something important to talk to me about. We know that Ranger is here in the area, so I won't run into him in Miami and if I am in Miami I won't risk the chance of running into him here."

"What about if Julie calls him and lets him know your there." asked Vince

"It won't happen. Julie hasn't talked to Ranger since she found out what he did."

"How did she find out Little Girl?"

"Ranger, accidentally forwarded pictures of his Miami Babe and him at a club in Miami and they were dated. Julie's a smart girl and figured it all out."

"So, he not only lost you, he lost his daughter too?" asked Woody

"Well, I'm done with him forever, but I hope Julie forgives him. They shouldn't lose their relationship over this. It's one of the things I want to talk to her about. She will need to have her Dad in her life. I feel sorry for him if he has lost Julie over this - it shouldn't be that way and I will do everything I can to rectify this."

"When do you want to go Beautiful?"

"As soon as possible, I have to make reservations in a hotel for whoever wants to go with me."

"You don't need reservations Stephie. Jake left you a house near Miami with a private beach and it has 8 bedrooms and a guest house so having room isn't a problem we just need to call the housekeeper and caretaker to let them know you are coming - by the way the puppies will love it there. Hal went out and bought doggie life jackets today. I also have a boat there so you can go out and see the sights and do some deep sea fishing if you want. The only problem I see is vehicles but you can rent some SUV's for this time and decide if you want to buy some to have there for when you need them."

"Lester will you please be our pilot?"

"Beautiful, that's not a problem but I want a copilot - Brett you know has a license and so does Hal and Tank. By the way Beautiful, Brett has an instructor's license and he is going to teach you to fly a plane."

"Oh my God, that is a dream come true. Thank you. Before we go I want to talk to the architect and discuss the changes. Then we can leave. whoever, wants to go just say so. You guys know Miami I bet there are a lot of women who have missed you. I Ella, you and I are going for Fun, sun and shopping."

"Watch out we may need a second plane if Steph is going shopping" laughed Lester.

"Don't be silly I will just have it shipped Smart Ass!"

"Those are fighting words Beautiful!"

I was thrown over his shoulder again and out to the pool with Nix and Trouble barking. In we went, along with the dogs that had their life jackets on that Hal had bought them. We were joined by the guys and Ella just stood there and laughed till Louis picked her up and jumped in with her.

"Is this going to be a nightly thing Lester" I asked laughing.

"Only if you kiss me again like the other night Beautiful" and then he placed a light kiss on my lips, and I found myself wanting more so I kissed him back to the hoots and hollars and barks of everyone.

Skip stood on the pool deck laughing "Your Uncle Jake would be loving every minute of this Stephie; this is exactly what he wanted for you. Hey Tank want to get up at 5 tomorrow and go crabbing?"

"I'll be there, but I've never crabbed."

"Sure you have Big Guy, every time I blew up a car!" I yelled.


	10. Chapter 10

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 10

JE owns them I love to borrow them

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The next day, I called the architect Brian and asked him to come and see the property and to go over some more ideas we had. He asked for directions, but I couldn't give them to him because I still hadn't driven enough to know the roads. Lester suggested he go to Hunter's office and either Hunter would drive him here or Lester would go pick them up in the helicopter. So that's what I did. I personally think Lester loves flying and looks for every chance he can get to do it.

I fixed a couple of glasses of iced tea and made Ella and Louis come sit with me on the front porch.

"I don't say it enough but I love the two of you so much. I can't thank you enough for coming with me when I left Trenton. I didn't realize that all the guys loved me and would come along with us. I know Ella you had your heart set on the B&B opening this summer and I truly thought that would happen. I guess you realize that until we get all the houses and bungalows set up we are going to need all the bedrooms in this house for the guys. I'm so sorry; I feel I have broken my promise to you Ella."

"Sweet Girl, I am having the time of my life. I've know these young men for years and I have never seen them so happy and relaxed. They are doing their fair share with the cleaning and laundry and I get to play in that wonderful kitchen. I see them sitting around that big table laughing and telling stories and you in there with them. I told you God had a plan and I think this is it. I think he also has more planned for you."

"Louis, if you ever jump into the pool with me again I just may have to kiss you like Steph did to Lester last night." Louis just smiled a big smile "Okay with me -anytime-want to go swimming now Ella?"

"Will you both go to Florida for a vacation with me please?"

Ella said she would love to go but, Louis had to stay and harvest the field of peas and plant some more vegetables. It was time to plant the fall pumpkins, gourds and squash… he'd take a rain check till next winter. Ella was going to give him specific instructions for freezing the peas. We sat for a few minutes sipping the ice tea and Cal and Binkie joined us but they had Coronas. Trouble was trying to lick the top of the bottle of Cal's beer and Nix kept pushing him away. Cal looked down and said "Bad ass you better set your sister straight or you won't ever have any fun!"

Skip and Tank pulled up to the dock and yelled for us to come down. Tank was grinning until Trouble lofted off the dock and into the water, Nix behind him and Cal right after them scooping them up and into Skip's boat. Cal climbed on board and helped to lift the 2 bushels of crabs they had caught.

"Gonna be good eating tonight little girl."

"We are going to have to come up with a solution to keep the dogs out of the water." laughed Ella "Or Cal's going to have to wear his bathing suit and a lifeguard shirt every day."

"I've been giving serious thought about that Steph." said Woody who had just sat down with a Corona and handed Cal, Tank, Skip and Binkie one. He also threw a couple of towels at Cal. " I think we should put an invisible fence around the house and run it in front of the pool gate so if the gate was left open they wouldn't go in. They are smart and would learn quickly where they could and couldn't go. If we wanted them in the pool we would take their collars off and put on their life jackets."

"That's a terrific idea; we should have it done while we are gone for a few days and start to train them when we come home."

"It will be taken care of Stephie don't worry. Now everyone get their asses in gear we have to get everything ready for a crab feast."

"You need to direct us we have no idea what a crab feast is" laughed Tank

"Lester is going to pick Hunter and Brian up and Brian is spending the night. I fixed the gold bedroom for him Ella."

"Hey Tank, we will start setting up, but we need a couple of cases or kegs of beer do you and Vince think you can handle that?" said Skip.

"I've got the truck and keys Tank - let's go!"

"Come on Stephie, you and I will go to my house and pick up the mallets, steamer and other stuff we need"

"Mallets?"

"You'll see."

Lester landed safely with Hunter and Brian. I showed Brian his room and when he joined us downstairs he looked a little bewildered.

"I know this isn't your usual presentation especially, since it won't happen till tomorrow, but you might as well get a look at us as a group and you will understand who you are designing for."

That night we all got a lesson in what a crab feast entailed. Lots of newspaper to cover the picnic tables, a couple of huge steamers for the crabs, paper towel rolls every couple of feet, Old Bay Seasoning, mallets and paring knifes and a very messy but wonderful feast of steamed crabs and beer.

The guys were in heaven, Tank decided his job for the summer with Skip was crabbing. Ella wanted to learn how to make Maryland crab cakes and crab imperial. Louis wanted the corn to be ready so we could have roasted corn with the feast. I sat next to Lester and couldn't picture being as happy as I was after only 5 months. I had moments of sadness but it wasn't as over powering as it was at first.

"What are you thinking Beautiful?"

"Will you take a walk with me Les?"

"Do you have to ask - of course I will."

"Les, I have a feeling that something is going to happen in Florida."

"Do you want to cancel the trip, because no one will mind if you do?"

"No, Julie has been sick and I'm worried. There is something in Rachel's voice she also has something else to tell me. Will you go with me when I see them?"

"I will do anything you want Beautiful just ask me."

"What are we doing Les?"

"Beautiful, I know what I am doing; I'm waiting to see what you want me to be to you. You are in the driver's seat. I will accept whatever decision you make with no pressure from me. If I were in the driver's seat you would love me unconditionally, the way I love you, and have loved you for almost 4 years. The day you entered our lives I hung up my player's badge."

"Les, I have feelings for you, they have been building, but I don't know after Ric if I will ever trust a man again with my heart. I don't think I would survive another betrayal."

"You would never have worry about that. I am my father's son. When the Santos men fall in love it is forever. Just take your time, I'll be right here."

When Steph asked Les to take a walk, a lot of the guys noticed and smiled.

Hunter noticed but didn't smile. Ella sat down next to him and patted his arm. "Les is giving her time and so should you. She may never open her heart up again and risk being hurt. I think you would be happy to have her in your life in any capacity rather than none. Steph and I have talked about God's plan for her, I have a feeling that she is going to get another glimpse at the plan and it is going to bring hurt before joy. Are you coming with us to Florida?"

"I wouldn't be any where else Ella. You are a very wise woman."

We heard the whoops and hollers long before we saw and heard the barking.

We saw the streak of Les carrying Steph across the lawn and Hal running behind with the doggy life jackets. Brian looked up confused.

Skip said "Everyone ready for the nightly plunge?" The guys all jumped up and ran to the pool and jumped in. Ella just said "not tonight Louis I am not getting in the water tonight." Hunter jumped up grabbed Ella and off she went laughing all the way. Jesse just stood on the porch till Vince came behind her threw her over his shoulder and he ran to the pool. Brian looked at Tank and said "are they always this crazy?" "YUP" said Tank as he kept eating crabs and drinking beer.

"You can join them Brian and be one of the group. Steph expects you to do that, that's why you are here tonight. She's already decided you are part of her family."

"I've never met anyone like her."

"You'll never meet anyone like her again. She is one in a million."

The next morning around the breakfast table Brian saw exactly what she wanted. She had a vision and he would use every ounce of his talent to make it come true. They all jumped on ATV's and dirt bikes and started a tour of the property. She showed Brian the 4 bedroom bungalow that she and Haver had offices in and offered him a bedroom to use as an office. She told him to set up the office exactly like he wanted and told Haver to set him up with an expense account. He was going to be staying a long time while they redid the other buildings and houses. She offered him a job as the company' architect with all benefits. He said yes before the sentence was out of her mouth. His parents were dead and he had no brothers or sisters and he had finally found a home.


	11. Chapter 11

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 11

JE owns them I get to play with them and return them.

a/n As an author it is rewarding when your readers get involved in your story. A portion of this chapter deals with more information on Ranger's betrayal. Please remember this is a work of fiction. The incident that is referred to, only expedites one step in Stephanie's journey on becoming an amazing, generous and independent woman. That has been my purpose in the telling of this story.

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Two days later they were on their way to Miami. Steph had Tank rent 6 large SUV's, not one black one, was the only specification she made. Skip had given her and Lester the codes and keys. There was a Porsche and a Tahoe at the house. He explained where the marina was. The guys were excited to see their friends and go clubbing. Steph asked Lester if there was any way she could get together with Silvio. He said he would make the arrangements. Hunter insisted that Steph, Ella and Jesse have at least one of the guys accompany them when they went out shopping. He had evidentally never seen Steph in rhino mode. Lester just laughed and Hector walked up to Steph "Angel do you really think that I would let the three most beautiful ladies go shopping without me to guide your purchases?"

"Hector, I knew you spoke English, I knew your tatoos were fake and I also know you are a heterosexual and the gay act is just an act. I've seen you looking at my ass to many times. So go clubbing with the guys and enjoy yourself. Right Jesse?"

"My big brother probably has forgotten how to be out clubbing and on the prowl for some female companionship. He does have great shoe sense we should take him shopping so we can get the male perspective." she said laughing." Hector couldn't believe he fooled everyone, but Steph. He was relieved the act was over so he could be himself.

Steph, Lester and Tank were going to Rachel's in the morning. The housekeeper was totally beside herself in trying to figure out how to feed such a crowd but Steph just laughed. "Relax Mrs. Deaver I've hired a caterer to prepare the meals and before we go the guys will strip the beds and we will help with all the laundry. Don't worry! Ella, who is used to this, is on vacation and not to lift a finger!"

The infinity pool at the house was beautiful and the private beach was amazing.

Hal had read that the puppies could get their noses burnt so he chased them around to catch them, put on their life jackets and sunscreen on their noses and bellies. Steph and Jesse were in bikinis and sunning on the deck. The guys were out on the beach surfing and playing Volley ball, flirting with the girls. Steph was watching them and she was certainly enjoying the scenery. Jesse was sighing and had her eyes riveted to Vince. Steph found her eyes continuously going to Lester, who turned around and grinned at her and waved. She felt herself drawn to him more and more.

"Jesse can you put this sunblock on my back please?"

She started and then she felt a change of hands. She looked up at Hunter and what she saw in his eyes scared her, not that she was afraid of him, but the emotion there scared her- he cared for her.

Hunter said in a low voice, "Don't be frightened of me sweetheart. I would never hurt you. I will be your friend if nothing else."

So I said "Thank you." how dumb was that. I didn't know what to say, but I knew I couldn't relax so I stood up and said "Beat you to the beach." That's right Steph run away to the land of denial again.

Hunter jumped up and chased Steph to the beach. He was thinking to himself, I scared her I don't want her afraid of me. I didn't realized when she turned around she would see into my soul. Dammit!

After dinner a lot of the guys took off to take in the nightlife. I was talking to Ella and asked if she missed her embroidery machine. She laughed and said she was glad she never had to embroider Rangeman again. She told me she always hated embroidering my underwear, that it had bothered her a lot. She did miss sewing and she had always wanted to quilt.

I was tired so I went to bed. I woke up screaming from the nightmares.

I was pulled into Lester's arms and he whispered "It will be okay Beautiful, we are all here for you and to protect you. I promise." I remembered waking up twice more screaming."

Lester rocking me and promising protection.

I woke up about 6am to find myself in Lester's arms. Hunter was on the floor next to my bed, Tank was asleep in the chair. I slipped out of bed, went to the bathroom and slipped on shorts and a tee shirt and went downstairs to the beach. I sat down in the sand and stared at the water and then Hector sat next to me.

"You had a bad night Angel, do you want to tell me about it?"

"In the light of day it seems silly."

"Angel, tell me about your dream."

"These men come and take me away. I hear dogs in a distance. I can hear them trying to sell me. I miss all of you and you can't find me. Oh God Hector, I never get to be with all of you again. I never get to see Les smile and laugh and feel his arms around me. I try to be brave but I'm not, I'm not brave."

"Shh.. Angel, you are the bravest woman there is. We would find you, we would move heaven and earth to find you. Les would tear the world apart to find you - he loves you Angel, he always has."

"I know Les loves me but, he knows I may never be able to love again."

"You are too filled with love to not share it. We all love you but you need a special man to love you the way a woman needs to be loved. I wanted it to be me, but Les is the man that you need. Come on Angel, let's get your puppies and take them for a walk. Dare we take them out without their life jackets and sunscreen?" he asked laughing.

We took a long walk and wore Nix and Trouble out, Job was playing in the water. The last half mile we almost had to carry Nix and Trouble. When we got back Les and Tank were sitting having coffee. The puppies collapsed. Hector went in and got us coffee and we sat down with them.

"I'm sorry I kept you up last night."

Tank pulled me onto his lap "Little girl is there anything we can do to help?"

"Time Tank, I need time and I need to know you all will find me when these men come to take me."

"You don't even need to ask that - we would always come for you and find you."

I looked at Lester and saw the simmering anger in his eyes. I got up and sat on his lap. "I know you would come; its just an unconscious fear that slips in at night. You have always made me feel safe. Having you wrap your arms around me and whisper it is going to be alright you make me feel safe. My spidey sense is on full alert today. I know I am not in physical danger so you can relax. I just don't know what is going to happen today. Now, you have to tell me what you did last night!"

"Hal is going to have one hell of a hangover. He had 2 drinks and passed out. Les and I had to carry him in and dump him on his bed!" said Tank.

"Yeah, he's a cheap drunk!" laughed Hunter from the doorway. "It was damn embarrassing, the man can't hold his liquor."

"I can too!"

"Hal, how did you get to bed last night?"

"I don't know"

"My point exactly!"

"How are you doing this morning Sweetheart?"

"Better than you by the looks of things Hunter. I'm sorry about last night."

"Don't ever apologize to me or the others for having a nightmare."

At 10 am we left for Rachel and Ron's house. I was excited to see Julie and learn all about what she was doing for summer vacation. Tank, Lester and I arrived and was met in the driveway by an excited Julie who leaped into Tank's arms. Lester took his turn hugging and kissing her and then Julie turned to me and started to cry.

"No tears Julie, just be glad I'm not your wicked stepmother and that I am your friend forever."

"You would have never been a wicked stepmother! But I am glad you are my friend."

"How are you feeling Julie?"

"Ask my Mom she keeps dragging me from one doctor to another."

I looked at Rachel and she just put a finger to her lips and mouthed - tell you later.

We had a wonderful time visiting but, I couldn't help noticing Julie was becoming pale and listless. She fell asleep in Tank's arms.

"What's wrong Rachel?"

"She got a kidney infection a month ago and no matter what medicine they give her it just doesn't clear up. We've had her to a couple of specialists, but they don't know what the problem is. Steph, call it mother's intuition I'm scared."

"What does Ric say about this?"

"We haven't told him. Julie refuses to see him or talk to him. There is more to the story than you realize and I think you, Lester and Tank need to hear it. I need you to meet someone."

Rachel stood up, walked to the staircase and said "Jenny can you come down please."

I looked up and coming down the stairs was Miami Babe. I thought I was going to pass out, I put my head between my legs and tried to breathe. I heard Les jump up and say "What the hell is going on Rachel - you can't be this cruel!"

"Steph needs to hear the whole story she's not the only one in pain!"

I pulled my head up and sat up and looked at the woman kneeling before me, only she wasn't a woman she was very, very young and she was pregnant.

"Please Ms. Plum I didn't know about you, please forgive me I was such a fool."

Rachel said "You all have to listen to this - this is the other side of the story. This young woman's name is Jenny Fitzpatrick, she is 18 years old and she was an innocent till she met Ricardo Manoso. Now, Jenny please tell them your story."

"I was down here for a few days with my friends. I had never been allowed to date much, my parents were very strict. I lied to them and said I was staying with my friend's family and would be chaperoned. The second night we were here we went to a dance club and this really handsome man asked me to dance. He introduced himself as Carlos. He was so attentive and I drank a rum and coke and since I'm not allowed to drink it went straight to my head. I remember dancing and he was kissing my neck and murmurring things in Spanish, we went back to a table at the back of the club and he started kissing me and it felt so good. I told him I had to stop because I had no experience in stuff like this. He looked at me with these beautiful brown eyes that were almost black and he asked me if I was a virgin. I admitted I was and then he ordered me another drink and we did some more kissing. I am embarrassed to admit that I felt things I didn't know I was capable of feeling. I left with him to go to a hotel, but we stopped at a 24 hour clinic and I was given a shot for birth control. I'm so stupid I thought it was love at first sight. I had met the man of my dreams. He was so tender and caring. He didn't wear a condom because he said the birth control was effective immediately because of the shot."

I felt Lester holding my hand tense and I looked over at Tank and he had fury written all over his face.

"For three weeks we were together, we went out and he bought me beautiful lingerie, we went dancing and during the day we went to the beach. I had started feeling faint and dizzy and my period was late. One day he was gone to take care of some business, but he called and said he would be over later to be ready for an afternoon of …. I went out and bought an EPT test."

"I took the test and it was positive and I was pregnant. I was so happy I thought Carlos loved me and he would be happy too, after all he told me he loved me. When he got to the hotel room I told him the good news - I was going to have his baby!"

"All emotion left his face and his body stiffened. He looked at me with this blank face and said Get rid of it, I'll give you the money for an abortion."

"I told him I wouldn't have an abortion, I couldn't kill our baby. He just looked at me and made a phone call. He sat down in a chair and stared at me. Within ten minutes there was a knock on the door and a very large, muscular man with a mustache handed him a folder and stood to the side. Carlos put the papers down on the table told me to sign them. I asked what they were They are saying you will not hold me responsible for your brat, how do I know you haven't been with someone else. I won't be responsible for another baby, in any way especially financially responsible. You will sign this absolving me of any responsibility and don't ever contact me . again The large man stepped forward and I was afraid. I signed them, Carlos signed them and the man signed them and put a notary seal on them. He then told me the room was paid till tomorrow."

She was openly weeping and continued. "I went home and told my parents and they kicked me out of the house and their lives. I only had $50.00 on me and I left with only the clothes I was wearing and a pair of shorts and a shirt. I came back to Miami and tried to find Carlos but I never did. I ran out of money and was sleeping wherever I could feel safe. I was in a grocery store ladies room cleaning up when Julie came in "Miss Plum I am so sorry, Julie told me all about you. I didn't know. I am so sorry."and recognized me from the photos she had seen. At first she was angry, but I told her what had happened and she took me to Rachel who was shopping with Sam and Nina. Rachel brought me home with them. I know I have to give up my babies. I need to know that they will be taken care of."

Rachel looked up and said "I didn't know what else to do. She is another victim and she has lost everything. I took her to a free clinic since she has not had any prenatal care. Jenny is in good health and they discovered during the exam that she is expecting twins. One girl and one boy. These are Julie's half brother and sister, I couldn't kick her and the babies out, but we don't have the room for her to live with us permanently. I had one of the lawyers I work with look at the paperwork and he said it is legal and was written by a very good lawyer."

Tank pulled out his phone and called Hunter "Come to Rachel's and bring your best lawyer hat."

"Rachel would you mind if I stepped out on your lanai? I need to think and absorb everything I have been told."

"Of course would you like something cold to drink?"

"Just some water please."

After a few minutes Lester came out and then Tank.

"What are you thinking Beautiful?"

"That the man I loved and thought I knew, never existed. What existed was a cruel man who seduced a girl only 6 years older than his daughter for sex. Her appeal was that she was not only beautiful, but that she was innocent. He wouldn't have to wear a condom, which he hated, because there was no chance for disease. When he was done, he wanted her to kill his baby and he wanted to walk away scott free absolved of any responsibility. He must have done this before or why would he have a prepared legal document handy.. .ready for signatures and a Rangeman employee who delivered this as a certified notary public. Did that summarize the situation?"

"Yes it did." said Hunter from the doorway. "I had prepared that particular document 3 years ago supposedly for a Rangeman employee who had been the victim of a con artist."

"Jenny has lost everything. Her innocence, her family, her opportunity to finish school and most important she is giving up her babies for adoption so that they can have a better life and she can continue hers. Well, we can't give her back her innocence and her family doesn't deserve her. We can give her back her education by paying her tuition wherever she wants to go to school. The babies are another matter. Rachel pointed out they are Julie's half brother and sister."

"Beautiful what are you thinking…"

"That I never saw myself as mother, but as Ella tells me all the time that God has plans for me and everything that has happened has been planned. I guess if Jenny is willing I am going to adopt her babies. Do you think Hal will sign on as a Nanny?"

"Beautiful, you have one of the biggest hearts there is. You can count on me for everything except changing diapers!"

"Amen to that!" said Hunter and Tank

We went back inside and talked to Jenny. She agreed to everything. I would adopt the babies. She would go back to college after the babies were born. In the meantime, she would come back to Maryland for prenatal care. I would arrange for Julie to see specialists at Johns Hopkins Hospital and I would fly them up for the appointment and they would stay with us. I rode back to the house with Hunter. We discussed the adoption and other legal matters. We fell in to an easy silence.

"Are you sure about this Steph? This is a lot of additional responsibility."

"Hunter, I have the means and ways to do this. I am scared - I never ever pictured myself as a mother. If you think about it, I am surrounded by people I love and love me but there is not one mother among them. I will have to depend on Rachel, books and not being anything like my mother was. I will want these children to have everything I never had. I want them to have understanding, unqualified love and permission to be whoever they want to be. I will want them to develop self confidence and learn to fly with and without the airplane. I will do my level best for them."

"They are going to be lucky kids and they will be surrounded by lots of protective Uncles!"

"I feel sorry for the poor little girl when she gets old enough to like boys."

"Well, we will have practice by then have you noticed Jesse lately? She's nineteen and Vince has noticed Jesse and Hector has noticed Vince noticing Jesse."

"God Hunter, do I have to talk to the three of them?"

"If you don't, it will have to be someone, and it isn't going to be me."

"Coward, Men are all Cowards!"

"Steph?"

"Yes?"

"I love you, I never want to lose your friendship."

"Hunter, I don't want to hurt you…I can only offer you friendship."


	12. Chapter 12

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 12

JE owns them I wish I did

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When I got back to the beach house I asked for everyone to meet on the deck at 5 pm. I explained what we had learned at Rachel's and how Jenny was a young 18 year old that had believed she was loved. She was now 5 months pregnant with twins and had no money and no place to go. I told them I was going to bring Jenny back to Maryland and I was going to adopt the twins she was carrying. We needed to make sure that when Jenny went back with us they all accepted she was another victim and needed all the support they could give her.

I apologized for making a decision without consulting them first. I told them I knew it would affect everyone, but I hoped we could all work together. I needed their support and I promised I would try harder to include them in the future with any major decisions.

I looked at the faces around me and explained we had a "mission" Rachel was worried about Julie. The doctors Julie had been seeing hadn't been able to conquer the kidney infection. They had known Julie for years and loved her. I explained we needed to find the best doctors for Julie and I felt we had the best chance in Maryland with Johns Hopkins Hospital and the University of Maryland Medical Center. We needed to up our effort to get some of the houses totally ready especially one for Rachel and the children.

I needed their help, but it was only if they wanted to give it. The offer still stood that they could do anything in the world they wanted to do. They all looked at me like I was crazy.

Ram stepped forward "Where else would we be if not with you. You made us a family when no one would even speak to us. So now we get to add a little niece and nephew to this family. I think I speak for all of us - families stick together."

Ella hugged me and told me how proud she was of me. She wanted new sewing machines - one for quilting and one for making baby clothes.

She called Louis and was telling him to start his research on organic gardening. Their grandbabies would need "pure" food. Jesse wanted to go to a yarn store she loved to knit and crochet and wanted to get started. We only had a few months to prepare.

So that is what we did. Ella, Jesse and I shopped till we dropped. We bought two sewing machines, patterns, fabric, and yarn. I bought pregnancy books, baby books, baby name books, parenting books and children's books. We took Jenny with us and had her totally outfitted in maternity clothes and even found her swimsuits so she could enjoy the pool.

I called Skip and asked him if we could borrow one of his extra bungalows for Rachel and Kids I thought they need their own space, of course he said yes and then I told him about Jenny and that I was going to adopt the babies. There was silence on his end and then he laughed "Damn Stephie Jake knew I always wanted to be a father and Jake gave me you and now you are giving me the grandchildren I always wanted. Seems like Jake fulfilled your dreams and mine." I needed him to start researching the best kidney specialists in Maryland.

I called Brian and told him to take into consideration the safety of 2 babies for the kitchen and great room. After the plans were done for the main house I wanted to do plans for an additional house. I wanted a Tidewater house in design with porches all around the house with the back porch screened. I needed a house for me and the babies and I knew where I wanted it built on the property. When I got back we would work together on plans. I also needed him to expedite the plans on the elevator. Jenny was going to need it soon.

We had two nights left in Miami and the guys finally convinced me to go out dancing with them. Ella and I had to go shopping to get a dress and shoes for dancing. I told Hector that Jesse was coming also, he didn't like it, but she was 19 and would be surrounded by all the guys. We found Jesse a beautiful green dress and it looked like it had been made for her size 2 figure. I found a black flirty dress just made for dancing and splurged on Manolos with 4" heels I also bought a pair of stretch suede boots with 4" heels for the fall and had them shipped. I was so excited it had been a really long time since I went dancing.

Silvio and Rafe who was visiting Miami, were joining us. We arrived at the club and went right past the line and into the club. I looked at Jesse and she was wide eyed and taking in everything. Vince was staying close to Jesse and Hector was staying close to Vince. The looks Hector was giving Vince were anything but friendly.

We found tables together and ordered drinks. I was sipping my rum and coke and looking around and next thing I knew I was dancing with Ram. The man could move and I was really enjoying myself. Cal cut in and off we went I found myself laughing and enjoying myself for the first time in a long time. Hector had turned over his watching of Vince to Tank and asked me to dance. To say that Hector can dance was an understatement -who knew he could move his body and dance like that. The band announced a slow set and Hector handed me over to a smiling Lester.

"Hey, beautiful are you having a good time? I see from the smile on your face that you are. I love to see you smiling and laughing like you are tonight; makes me think back to the times you and I and Bobby would go dancing."

I put my arm around his neck and he took my hand and placed it on his heart. He buried his face in my hair and whispered in my ear "you are my heart and soul Beautiful." We danced in silence and I felt truly loved and protected in his arms. My resolve to resist him was crumbling and I was enjoying every minute and storing this feeling away.

After the slow set we walked back to the table holding hands. "Do you know where Bobby is, I really miss him?"

"You bet I do. He challenged most of the courses and with his experience and advanced army classes he has just finished up Medical school and guess where he is going to intern?"

"Where?"

"University of Maryland and he will be visiting us for a few days when we go back to Maryland."

"I can't wait to see him Les. I miss him."

"He misses you too Beautiful. He won't have a lot of time during his internship but is looking forward to spending as much of it with us as possible. Right now he is looking for a small apartment for when he is in between shifts."

"Tell him not to worry about it Les. I'll find something for him."

Silvio and Rafe had arrived and were sitting at the table with the guys.

Hector was staring at the dance floor at Jesse and Vince.

"Hector, let Jesse have some fun, she is having a good time and your staring daggers at Vince is going to do nothing, but hurt her and make her angry. You have given her everything. Now you have to sit back and let her be the person you helped her to be, you need to trust her."

"I trust her, I don't trust Vince - he is to old for her!"

"Hector, do you see that beautiful girl sitting by the bar whose friends just left her?"

"Yes, she is beautiful."

"She has looked over at you Hector at least six times in the time I have been sitting with you. Get up, go over and ask her to dance. If Vince does anything inappropriate with Jesse I will take care of it okay?"

"Okay."

Vince and Jesse sat down and Les took Jesse off dancing so I could talk to Vince.

"Vince, you do realize that if you do anything inappropriate with Jesse, Hector will kill you. After he is done with you and if there is anything left I will kill you for hurting Jesse."

"I know. She is just so innocent and perfect, I never dreamed anyone like that existed."

I laughed and said, "As head of the so called household just what are your intentions young man?"

"Totally honorable…I'm going to wait for her to finish growing up. I promise you Steph I won't hurt her and I will talk to Hector and reassure him also."

"Okay, now lets dance and we can switch partners, they just announced a slow set."

"What's going on with you and Lester? Do I have to have a talk with him?"

"No"

"He's a good man Steph."

"Vince, are you playing cupid?"

"Would it help Lester's cause? I will if it would help"

"He is doing fine on his own Vince - trust me - he is doing fine."

"Whose doing fine on his own Beautiful?"

"You are."

Xxxxx

Silvio kidded me and wanted to go somewhere else where he could hustle up a game of Darts instead he asked me to dance. He asked if I had ever talked to Ric and I said no and I didn't intend to. I was making a new life for myself. I had found out some more information today and it made me sick to my stomach. We stopped dancing and Silvio looked at me and said "I didn't know Steph about the other woman. I would have found a way to tell you. I'm leaving Rangeman Steph it's just not the same."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know. I'd like to stay in the security business and stay with the computer research. I can't put out inquiries because it would get back to Rangeman even though I don't have a non compete clause in my contract."

"You don't have the non compete clause in your contract like the rest of the guys?"

"No, I wouldn't sign a contract with Rangeman until that was eliminated."

"Silvio are you interested in relocating?"

"I actually would like to, since my divorce there is nothing holding me here. Why?"

"I think I know about a really good job that you might be interested in. Can you come by the house we are staying at tomorrow morning? If Rafe wants to come bring him also." With that Lester cut in and told Silvio to find his own girl.

Then I felt it, a slight tingle in my neck. I looked around and every entrance in the club was being blocked by Miami Rangemen. I felt the panic build up. Lester wrapped his arms around me.

Tank and Hunter were on the move toward me. Hector grabbed Jesse.

Ranger was closing in from the other side of the dance floor. Silvio stood in the way of Ranger, so did Cal trying to block him from me. Brett, Binkie, Vince, Zero and Manny circled around me.

Ranger started yelling "I have to talk to you, Stephanie."

Silvio put a hand on Ranger's shoulder and said in a low voice. "Now is not the time Ranger. She found out today more about your betrayal. Let it go."

"I want to apologize, I want to make things right."

"This isn't the time or place to do that. This attempt to strong arm your way back into her life is hurting her. Let her go. I repeat this isn't the way to do it."

Lester wrapped his arms around me. I was surrounded by my guys and they pushed their way through the Miami crew who put up little resistance stepping aside and letting us leave after telling me how much they missed me and that they were sorry. Rafe exited with us. Binkie, Junior, Vince and Cal stayed back to stop Ranger. Our cars pulled up, Hal was our defensive driving expert. Lester, Tank, Hunter, Silvio and Rafe jumped in the car and we took off. Hal successfully evaded the car following us. When we could Hal stopped the car and went over it from top to bottom to make sure there were no trackers on it. He called the others and had them do that too.

Lester held me as I cried. We arrived home and I went straight to my bedroom. Lester came in to the room and climbed into bed with me. "I'll hold you and keep the nightmares away. I'll never let him ever take you away Beautiful."

"How do you think he found me Les?"

"My best guess is someone recognized you and called him."

"Les, can I ask you a favor? Can you go downstairs and ask Silvio and Rafe to either stay the night or come back in the morning as long as they aren't followed? Then ask Hunter to come up and talk for a few minutes. Most importantly can you come back and stay with me?"

"I'll do what you ask and I wouldn't be anywhere else but with you. I'll be right back."

"What do you need Sweetheart?" said Hunter

"Silvio told me he wants to leave Rangeman and is willing to relocate. Evidently, he doesn't have a noncompete clause in his contract. Let's talk to him about joining Sky's the Limit Enterprises, let's also feel out Rafe and see what he wants to do. I'll see you in the morning."

"Les, do you remember any bedtime stories?"

"No why? Do you want me to tell you one?" he said laughing.

"No" I laughed back. "I can't remember any either, I have so much to learn before the babies arrive."

"You are going to the best mother Steph. These babies are so lucky to have you."

"Will you help me?"

"I'll be right by your side the whole time Beautiful. I wouldn't be anywhere else."


	13. Chapter 13

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 13

JE owns them and she shares

xxxxxxxxxxx

When we got back to Maryland things between me and Lester began to subtly change. I looked to him for advice. We got up early in the morning to walk or run and quietly talk. When we walked I held his hand. I loved to hear his laugh when he was working and talking to the guys. One day, I was walking and he was up on a ladder with Cal putting on a new roof. He had taken his shirt off. He took my breath away - he is a beautiful man. He looked down and gave me a crooked smile and went back to hammering nails into shingles. One afternoon, I was in the kitchen rinsing green beans for dinner and I felt him come up behind me and softly kiss my neck.

"What are you doing Les?"

"Kissing your neck."

"Why?"

"Because your neck is so soft and you smell so good."

"Do you think you should be doing that."

"Absolutely."

"Lester, I don't think this is a good idea."

"Why?"

I leaned into him. "I don't know why but I…"

He turned me around and looked in to my eyes. "Do you want me to stop?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"What are you doing Lester?"

"I'll leave so you can figure it out Beautiful." He took a bottle of water from the refrigerator and left the kitchen.

Ella and Louis had witnessed this and just smiled at each other.

I went up to my bedroom and put on a bikini and some shorts and went to the pool and jumped in. Nix, Trouble and Job had followed me and stood on the side of the pool barking. I put the life jackets and sunscreen on the Boxers. I swam lap after lap trying to calm myself down.

Ella and Louis were sitting at the table in the kitchen and quietly talking.

"I think she has made a decision even though she doesn't know it." said Ella.

"The men know it Ella."

"Do you think Hunter will back off?"

"I think he always knew it was a long shot."

"Louis, what do we do? I can't bear it she gets hurt again."

"Les will never hurt her. It's going to be interesting to watch this Ella I think he already has a plan in place."

"You mean tease and retreat?" laughed Ella.

"Yes, like I said he has a plan and it's going to be fun to watch our girl discover real love for the first time."

Tank walked in grabbed a bottle of water, looked at the running water and green beans in the sink and sat down. "Has Lester started to implement his plan?"

"He told you about his plan?" asked Ella.

"No, but I have known Lester for years and I know how much he loves Steph. This is going to be fun to watch. Why is she swimming laps?"

"Because Lester came in to get a bottle of water and let's just say the mission began with soft kisses on her neck, softer talk and he left her standing at the sink in a daze." laughed Louis.

"The man is good, now she is swimming laps! Like I said this is going to be fun. Ella, Skip is bringing over crab cakes for dinner. We made 7 dozen I hope it's enough for the heathens."

"These boys can eat Tank. I'll throw in a couple of pans of lasagna and with corn and green beans we should be good to go."

"Good thing we live on a farm. Is the walk in freezer ready? When it is ready I'll order the 3 sides of beef. How long do you think it will last?"

"Not long enough."

Lester walked back in the kitchen, looked at the sink that still had the water running and the half done green beans. "Where is Steph?"

Ella laughed, "She's swimming laps in the pool. What are you up to Les?"

Lester looked at them and laughed and walked out the door towards the pool.

"He's going to stir the pot again" laughed Ella "I can't wait to see what he has up his sleeve."

My legs and arms were screaming in pain, it had been a long time since I had exercised like this. I flipped over on my back to float and look at the sky and when I opened my eyes I looked up into Lester's laughing eyes. It scared me so bad I lost my concentration and I started to sink and took in water and started to splutter. Les slid into the pool grabbed me and steadied me.

"Watcha doing Beautiful?"

"I was swimming laps."

"Why?"

"I needed the exercise."

"Looked to me like you were trying to burn off some energy."

"Why would I have to do that Lester?"

"I don't know Beautiful, why don't you tell me."

I was now standing close to Steph and had my arms holding her still while I talked to her. I started rubbing her back and she shivered.

"Are you cold?"

"No, I'm not cold"

"Why are you shivering?"

"Let me go Lester."

"Let me put some sunscreen on your back - your burning and your skin is turning red" She was muttering something as she got out of the pool. I took my time putting on the sunscreen and she kept moving and squirming around. "Beautiful, you had better hold still so I can make sure I have gotten your whole back. Well, that's done - see you later." I got up and quickly walked away smiling. I also needed a very, very cold shower. This plan was going to kill me.

I went back to the house we were roofing and took the garden hose and put it over my head. I heard the laughing and looked up. Cal, Binkie and Hal were laughing, "You know, we can see the pool from here. Need a cold shower?… you could have used the one in the house." yelled Cal.

"What is your master plan Santos?" laughed Binkie

"Damn Santos, all you have to do is look at Steph and give her that damn stupid crooked grin and she looks stunned. I thought you were going to give her mouth to mouth resuscitation after you scared her and she almost drown." put in Hal.

"You know Lester, that is a big bay out there with lots of deep water to lose a body. Don't hurt her." said Tank walking up to the house carrying more shingles.

"I will never hurt her. I love her."

"We know - how do you want us to help?"

"Don't help - I know the disasters that happen when you help. We just need some time alone, but around here that is damn near impossible."

"We can arrange …"

"No!"

At dinnertime it was the typical pandemonium. Steph had gotten Jenny seated, fixed her some food and sat down next to her. Lester sat next to Steph and put him arm on the back of Steph's chair. He leaned forward and asked Jenny what time her doctor's appointment was for in the morning.

Jenny said it was at 10 am.

"Steph do you want to take the chopper or the SUV?

"We made an appointment with a Doctor who specializes in high risk pregnancies, which includes multiple births and he has an office at the hospital that has a whole wing for high risk deliveries. It's in Towson. So the most practical and time efficient way would be to take the chopper to Hunter's building and then the SUV to the hospital. Is that alright with you Jenny?"

"A helicopter?"

"Lester is an expert pilot. He, Hal, Brett and Tank are pilots."

"You have four pilots?"

" They are not my pilots they just fly the planes. They were all military pilots and the Best of the Best. The chopper is a little scary at first but then it is really cool. Les is teaching me to fly it. Lester will point out all the sights and the trip will be fun. I promise you!"

Tank walked over with a plate of crab imperial. "Skip and I experimented this afternoon. Taste it and tell me what you think."

Lester started laughing. "Tank you remind me of that guy Bubba in Forest Gump when he was talking about shrimp. Only you talk crab….crab puffs, Crab cakes, crab soufflé, crab imperial, crab legs, shrimp with crab meat, Crab dip….."

"…..fried crab wontons." yelled Hunter.

"…flounder stuffed with crab." yelled Cal.

"….crab soup, crab canapés, crab balls." chimed in Hal.

"…crab Rockefeller, crab croissants," yelled Brett.

"….crab salad, crab triangles, deviled crab"…added Manny.

"…..crab casserole."….yelled Hector.

"…crab quiche, crab tartlets."… laughed Ella.

"Barbequed crabs"…..yelled Louis.

"Crab Newburg, crab alfredo"…. yelled Steph.

"Crab alfredo Steph?"…. asked Lester laughing.

"Hey I'm part Italian….."

"Stop it! I know I am obsessed" said Tank laughing so hard he had tears coming down his face. "The Bay gives them to us free….."

"Except he's spent a fortune on traps and gas…" interjected Skip laughing.

"Well, I can't trust Steph to throw the traps off the pier…."

"Tank, you promised you wouldn't say anything…"

"Sorry Steph."

All eyes were on Steph… "Okay I forgot to tie the line on the trap and when I threw it off the dock I lost my balance and fell in. The trap kept going and I couldn't get it back…"

"…and then she had no way to get back up on the dock. The puppies were going crazy so we ran out and threw the line she forgot to attach to the trap. That's why Louis built two ladders one for each side ….."

"…it's not my fault it could happen to anyone."

"But, it didn't Beautiful, it happened to you."

"I think we should get back to Tank's obsession with crab…"

"Nice try Beautiful" he drew her closer and kissed her forehead.

They looked over at Jenny and she was laughing so hard she was holding her sides. "You guys are crazy. I haven't laughed this much in months."

"Stick with us Darlin' you haven't seen anything yet" Woody told her.

"Steph feel this." said Jenny.

Steph put her hand on Jenny's stomach and felt the kicks and looked up at Lester who put his hand over Steph's.

"Wow, does that hurt Jenny?" asked Lester.

Next thing all the guys were up taking a turn laying a hand on Jenny's stomach with wonder in the faces. Steph looked at them and saw the wonder and realized that the blank faces were almost gone.

"We are going to have to give him lessons in Karate. He's got one hell of a kick." laughed Manny.

"What do you mean he? That could be our little niece…."

The doctor's appointment was exciting to say the least. They had sonograms of the babies and a lot of information. Jenny was young and healthy and so were the babies. They were about 1 ½ pounds a piece and the sonogram showed both of them sucking their thumbs. The doctor wanted Jenny off her feet as much as possible but cleared her for swimming as a good source of exercise. Lester and I were going to be Jenny's coaches and we signed up for the classes.

Everyone was waiting for us when we got home and the pictures and the DVD of the babies were greeted with all kinds of comments about how strong, handsome, beautiful, the babies were. We heard the guys discussing how they were going to build a toddler training facility, no dating for baby girl, public schooling vs. home schooling. Ella, Jessie, Beth, Jenny and I just sat and listened, who knew that the guys even had an opinion on home schooling.

Suddenly, Cal, Hal and Lester looked at Jenny.

"Do you know how to swim?" asked Cal

"Just a little."

"Do you know any strokes?" asked Hal

"What do you mean by strokes?"

Lester smiled at Cal and Hal. "She's a virgin."

I yelled at them "What the hell are you talking about!"

"She's a newbie to swimming and we are just the guys to teach her Beautiful!"

"She is not going into SEAL training. She was told to swim for exercise not for military maneuvers. If she is going to learn to swim for exercise it will be adjusted for pregnancy."

"Oh."

Never did I imagine the can of worms I opened up. The 3 ex SEALS devoted hours to research. The internet was their best friend, every known to mankind DVD on swimming and pregnancy was purchased and studied,

Including foreign ones, since between the 3 of them they spoke 13 languages. The next step was setting up an exercise schedule, the pool's temperature was checked and rechecked. Jenny, Beth, Jessie, Ella and I watched this with great amusement. I told Jenny if it got to intense the ultimate weapon was tears. The guys did not know what to do with them and it crumpled their resolve if even one tear rolled down a cheek. She must save them - overuse negated them as a weapon.

The day arrived and Jenny dressed in her black bathing suit with her baby bump was scheduled for her first swim lesson. The 3 SEALS were ready. Ella, Jessie and I were on lounge chairs with ice tea to observe the lesson. Beth had to be in Baltimore, but we were taping the lesson for her. Jenny arrived at the pool and Hal helped Jenny down the ladder, let her adjust to the water temperature which had been checked again. Cal explained the free style stroke in finite detail(it was enough to make your eyes glaze over). Demonstrating the proper arm motion, the perfect cupping of the hand, the position that the hand must enter the water. Lester provided the in water demonstration. Jenny looked up at us and winked. We had rehearsed this move when the guys were busy. Cal took up a position about 15 feet out from Jenny, Hal was behind her and Lester provided the side coach to swim alongside the expectant Mommy in case she got in trouble. With words of encouragement Jenny dipped down in the pool went 2 strokes flipped to her back and floated. I looked at Ella who was biting her lips to keep from laughing out loud. Jesse had to get up and leave for a few minutes, her shoulders just shook with silent laughter. I pulled down my blank face I had learned from the guys.

Patiently, they went through the whole scenario again. Jenny winked at me and repeated her performance. They couldn't figure out where they went wrong. By this time Tank, Skip and Hunter who was working at home, joined me on the lounge chairs. I fully expected Cal, the engineer, to start taking measurements and doing formulas. Hal tried to hold her from turning over and floating but he got too embarrassed trying to find a place to put his hands on her body. Lester just stood there and looked at her then he turned around and looked at me. The light bulb went on and before I could run out of the pool area he had me over his shoulder striding toward the pool to the whistles, catcalls and cheers of the guys. I was yelling and trying to grab his shorts when he smacked my ass and jumped in the deep end of the pool. I came up spluttering, he came up laughing.

"Beautiful, you almost had me fooled, we had forgotten about her center of balance being off."

"What gave me away?"

"I looked up at you and you had half a blank face - your eyes were dancing with laughter."

"I'll need to work on that Lester - I mean my blank face."

"Never hide your feelings from me Beautiful" and then he kissed me and laughed again. He left me to go back to helping Cal and Jenny. I just wondered what the hell Les was doing, he would kiss me, hold me then he would walk away. He was driving me crazy.

Jenny was working with Cal on her backstroke smiling up at him. Hal was getting razzed by Tank about watching his hands. I was totally mystified.

It was a beautiful day.


	14. Chapter 14

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 14

JE created them and we love them

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I continued with my flying lessons with Brett and every time Les took out the helicopter I went along for the ride. He pointed out all the landmarks and I learned about the instruments. When we would get back home Les would let me take the controls and we would fly around the property. I loved it! He showed me how to hover. He told me this was an important thing to learn. This was how they were extracted when the chopper couldn't land. They would run and jump in the chopper.

I couldn't believe what my guys had to do to survive. He told me one day he would get Hal or Cal to harness up and we would lower them or we would take them up and they would parachute out of the helicopter. I wanted to try that and he promised me he would teach me. Whatever I wanted to learn, Les would teach me or he would find someone to teach me. No, was not in his vocabulary.

Hector brought in two old cars one day. Jesse and I learned all about hot wiring them. I found it easy to learn how to pop the locks to get inside. Jesse learned faster than me. I told her she had an unfair advantage; it must have been in her genes. Vince was standing around watching and his eyes went right to her jeans and I smacked him and reminded him of his promise.

He and Hector had declared a truce after a long talk. Vince was waiting for Jesse to 'grow up' and Hector reminded him what would happen if he didn't.

I was a master lock picker now - no lock on any door could stop me. I was learning how to pick the lock while I was handcuffed. Hector showed me how to do this in the kitchen. He sat me down in front of a pineapple upside down cake and handcuffed me to the chair. Every few minutes one of the MM would come in and take a piece of cake and sit down in front of me and eat it. Les came in and pulled the rest of the cake in front of him and sat with a fork and ate it bite after bite grinning at me the whole time. I got out of the cuffs and never said a word and waited for the right moment. He got down to the last bites and I vaulted across the table grabbed the cake, but I had to much momentum and continued to slide and I crashed into Les holding the cake. I knocked Les and the chair over with me landing on top of him and the cake squished in between us. Lester grabbed me and held me and I looked up into his eyes and what I saw took my breath away. He tightened his arms and leaned in to kiss me and then we heard the laughs and claps from our audience - Tank, Hector, Jesse, Beth, Vince, Hal, Cal, Manny and Ram were standing in the kitchen with Ella and Skip.

Les helped me up muttering about to many people always being around and never getting a moment alone. He turned around and just walked out of the kitchen leaving me standing there.

Hector walked over laughing and handed me and Jesse each a wrapped present. He had made us leather belts, but they weren't just belts. They had trackers in them. Throwing stars were embedded into the leather to look like a design, there was a garrote that was on the inside of the belt that could be remove in a second by pulling a metal clasp mounted along side the buckle

If you pressed the side of the buckle a lock picking tool disengaged. Jesse asked him to add a small loop to the belt. Hector wanted to know why. She laughed and told him she and I needed a place to carry our lip gloss.

He hugged us both, we were his star pupils.

Hal's expertise was evasive driving. He and Junior set up a course and I practiced. I loved speed, but I was having a hard time learning to take corners on two wheels. Hal kept reassuring me that if I learned the basics when I needed to use them I would, so we practiced and practiced.

The training went on everyday. I thought I would be exhausted at night, but after an hour or two of sleep the nightmares would return or sleep would just elude me. Lester and I decided to keep the door between our rooms open so he could get to me quicker when the nightmares started. I slept better when he held me. I knew it was hard on him, he couldn't get any rest so a lot of time when I couldn't sleep. I would go downstairs and work on my second novel or I would bake for the morning.

Jenny had another appointment with her OB and of course Les and I went in with her. The doctor was really happy and Jenny explained the swimming lessons. Dr. Riley just laughed - he had been a SEAL also. He had a few DVDs and let Les borrow them. He thought Jenny should add water walking to her routine and explained to Les what needed to be done.

Jenny and I just sat there listening. I could see her trying not to laugh and I knew she was trying to come up with a plan to have fun with Hal, Cal and Les. I was sure Ella, Jesse, Beth and I were up for the challenge.

I asked Jenny after the appointment if there was anything she wanted to do or see. She blushed and said she really wanted to see Fort McHenry where the Star Spangled Banner was written. Les wanted to see it too, but he first wanted to stop and buy kites. When we got to Fort McHenry I saw why; the wind was terrific for flying kites. Les opened up the back of the SUV and built the kites. He got Jenny's kite up in the air and worked to get mine up.

Hunter joined us and I turned around and there was Bobby. I jumped into his arms and screamed and cried. I scared Jenny who let go of her kite. Hunter grabbed the kite string. I introduced Bobby to Jenny and I saw that he recognized her, but never said a word. He asked her how far along she was and she told him explaining that she was carrying twins and that I was going to adopt them.

I could see this was all a surprise to Bobby and that Hunter and Les had never filled him in on what all was going on. It was going to be a long conversation when we got home.

All of a sudden I felt I was being watched and I looked around but I couldn't see anyone. Lester reeled in the kite and esp'd Hunter who handed Jenny's kite to Bobby. He grabbed her hand and started walking to his car.

He passed Bobby and handed him his gun that was wrapped in his sport coat. He put Jenny in his car and took off. Lester put me in the back seat with Bobby and we took off. After a few miles, Les pulled over and Bobby got out to drive and Les got in the back seat.

"Tell me what you are feeling Beautiful."

"I was being watched but it wasn't Ric. I know it wasn't Ric or anyone he sent."

"Who do you think it was?" asked Bobby.

"I don't know, but I know I will never leave home without Hector's belt."

"Hector's belt?"

"Show him Beautiful."

All Bobby said was, "Where can I get one?"

"I've already ordered one for you Bobby when I ordered one for me." laughed Lester.

"Okay Bomber, explain Miami Babe to me and how is it she is living with you and you are adopting her babies."

After hearing the story Bobby agreed with us. Jenny needed as much help and protection as I did. He wanted in on the protective Uncle detail. When we got to the house he crept in behind Ella and put his arms around her and gave her a big kiss. She had the same reaction I did - she screamed and then she cried. Her boys were all home now and according to her more boys were being added with Silvio and Rafe expected any time now.

Our family was growing every day. She wanted more girls and admonished the group standing around that girlfriends were the next order of business. They all kind of grimaced and faded away with the comments that she had better look to Les because they liked life just the way it was. He kissed me and walked away saying "Fine by me."

Brian walked in and I introduced him to Bobby. He spread plans over the table and I sat down to look at them. Les returned and sat next to me giving me a kiss on the neck and putting his arm around me.

They were the plans for the house I wanted built. My Tidewater house. He had redesigned it so that the master bedroom was not on the opposite side of the house from where the babie's rooms were going to be. He had added a second level with 4 bedrooms telling me when the children got older they could move upstairs and the downstairs bedrooms could easily be converted into a huge master suite with a sitting room. Where the master bedroom had been he added a writing room for me attached to a sunroom. He removed part of a wall so that it was easily accessible and I wouldn't feel closed off from family activities. He placed a duplicate miniature playhouse and playground equipment within sight of that room so I could write and watch the children.

The great room had been expanded to include the area where a formal dining room had been. The great room looked out on the bay through a wall of windows. I wanted it wired for surround sound if possible. There was a huge fieldstone raised hearth fireplace. It was almost a duplicate of the one being built in the main house. I really wanted the log storage to be loaded from the outside to avoid dragging the wood through the house. Lester and Bobby objected on the grounds of security. I told them they were the security experts to design a new system.

I wanted the kitchen to be spacious with a breakfast bar to seat and Stainless Steel appliances.

Tank came in laughing and asked Bobby to go with him to pick up kegs of beer. "Bubba Tank" was setting up for a crab feast and Luis was picking corn for a corn roast.

A delivery truck pulled up and Lester grabbed my hand. Lester put his hands over my eyes and said he had a surprise for me. I could hear the maneuvering and Ella's laughing. Les kept my eyes covered and walked me into the kitchen and across the room and I could hear him pressing buttons. He took his hand away from my eyes and there it stood a Juke Box filled with CD's. "Now we can dance anytime we want Beautiful."

Hal warned Bobby to wear a bathing suit for the crab feast. He didn't understand until the guys threw him into the pool. Job who now weighed 80 pounds swam by him with Nix in her new life jacket to fit her 40 pound svelte figure joined him. Trouble was too busy trying to convince Ella, by begging, to give him a bowl of homemade ice cream. Cal was discussing water walking with Jenny and Lester grabbed me and ran into the kitchen where the juke box was playing and we started dancing. Skip and Beth started dancing and Ella and Louis did too. Les looked up and grinned and turned me around and there stood Silvio and Rafe in the doorway, Rafe looked around and locked eyes with Beth and they just stared at each other. Rafe walked over to Beth and introduced himself, he offered his hand and she took it and they walked outside. Silvio looked at me and said "Do you have a soul mate for me too?"

It was midnight when the impromptu party ended and everyone started heading out. Beth stayed with Jesse instead of riding home.

I went up to my room and I just couldn't settle down to sleep. I decided it would be a good time to work on a new chapter for my book. I got dressed again putting on the jeans and a t shirt that I had worn earlier in the day.

I mixed up some dough for pecan sticky buns for the morning and remembered I had left my laptop in the SUV. I told the puppies to stay inside while I went to the car. I felt the hair on my arms stand up and then I felt the arms go around my neck and waist and a knife was at my throat. I was being dragged away from the house. The night was quiet and no one knew I was being taken from home. I had to fight to get away. A man walked up to me and I was pistol whipped and I lost consciousness. I woke up down by the water about a ¼ mile from the house and I could hear the puppies barking in the distance and I could tell from the barking they were coming closer. I kicked out at my attacker. There were four more of them. I got my hand free and threw the star and got one of them in the neck. The second star hit another one in the jugular. The puppies were there barking, snarling and circling trying to get between me and the attackers. Job leaped into the air to protect me and the man holding me shot him. I cried out as he fell and then I felt the sizzle and everything turned black.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

Susan


	15. Chapter 15

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 15

JE Created them and I stand in awe

Previously…

The night was quiet and no one knew I was being taken from home. I had to fight to get away. I was pistol whipped and I lost consciousness. I woke up down by the water about a ¼ mile from the house and I could hear the puppies barking in the distance and I could tell from the barking they were coming closer. I kicked out at my attacker. There were four more of them. I got my hand free and threw the star and got one of them in the neck. The second star hit another one in the jugular. The puppies were there barking, snarling and circling trying to protect me. Job leaped into the air and the man holding me shot him. I cried out as he fell and then I felt the sizzle and everything turned black….

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I was dreaming. Les was telling me that I was being trained to take care of myself and to give him time, till he came to get me. He would always come…there was nothing in this world to keep him away. He had loved me for over four years…nothing would keep him away. …use the tools and training Beautiful….use the tools and the training…

I was on the bottom of a boat and we were speeding I could feel the boat bouncing and the spray soaking my clothes. I hoped someone had heard the puppies barking and knew I was gone. I prayed the tracker in the belt Hector had made me was working. I remembered my dream and I could hear Les' voice telling me to use the tools and the training. I could do this, I just had to pretend that I was still unconscious and formulate a plan. The boat slowed down and I could hear the men talking.

"Who the hell trained this bitch? I was told she was a bumbling bounty hunter who surfed garbage. Where in the hell did the stars come from that she used to kill Jones and Kurt?"

"Yeah, and those vicious dogs, she couldn't have just one…no she had three. When I grabbed her by the house they were inside. The Boxer must have jumped through the window and the others followed. That Boxer was cut to ribbons but he kept coming. Did you ever see anything like that Saint fly through the air? If I hadn't shot him he would have taken me out. I think the price went up to one million with a bonus of a million if we don't rape her. That doesn't mean we can't have fun with her…"

"Do you think he'll pay that much for her?"

"Hell, yeah he'll pay - she must be great in the sack. He's been crazy since she walked out and disappeared."

"She must be doing all the men - they walked with her."

"No, from what that former Ho told me they love her like a sister."

Please let Job and Trouble be alright. They were so brave to try and save me. I'm sorry puppies. Think Steph …stretch your legs and arms as much as you can. Don't let them fall asleep…be ready…

LPOV

I heard glass break. I sat up in bed and ran into Beautiful's room the bed was empty and it was cold. I ran into the hallway and Ella and Louis were standing there when Tank, Rafe, Silvio and Brian opened their doors.

We could hear the dogs barking and they were getting further and further away. GOD! The dogs were barking in the distance - just like Steph's dream. Ella looked at me with tears running down her face…"Les it's the Dream!"

"Louis, alert all the guys, have Hector pull up Steph's tracker and see if she has the belt on. Tank, they are down by the water - go get the speedboat ready, get Skip he knows the water like the back of his hand."

The dogs were barking even more frantically and then there was a shot.

I started running down the steps into the kitchen. The glass in the back door was broken out and there was blood everywhere. I could see the dog's foot prints and all the dogs exited through the broken door. I yelled "call Jim the puppies are hurt." Silvio, Rafe and I followed the blood on the path that the dogs had taken down to the water.

When we got there Job was laying quietly but still breathing. Nix was on a man's chest staring at him while he stared at her; a star was imbedded in his neck. Trouble was laying next to her. There was another guy with a star in his jugular - dead.

I told Nix to release. She backed away and started to lick Trouble.

I grabbed the guy who was still breathing. "Who sent you? Where did you take her?" He just looked at me and the life went out of his eyes.

I turned to Rafe and said, "If I find that your brother did this he is a dead man."

"Who killed these guys?" asked Silvio.

"Steph, she's been training…"

Four ATV's approached with Hector, Cal, Hal and Ram.

"She has her belt on and the tracker is still working" yelled Hector glancing at the two dead men. Tank pulled up in the speed boat with Skip.

"Hector, go with Tank and Skip. Ram, stay with the puppies till Jim comes - then clean up the area." I said nodding at the bodies. Ram knew what had to be done.

"Hal and Cal you come with me and we'll take the chopper. Get your wet suits on and get dressed. I'll meet you at the chopper."

I took Ram's ATV and rode up to the house like a madman. I prayed with everything I had. Beautiful, use your tools and training to take care of yourself. I'm coming nothing will keep me away. I'm coming. Use the tools and training I'm coming for you . I love you. I've loved you for over four years. I'm coming…

I jumped off the ATV and ran into the house. I crushed Ella to me. "Pray Ella, tell her I am coming for her. Tell her to use her tools and training and tell her I am coming for her that I love her."

I looked at Brian "Do you have a gun?"

"Yes"

"Take care of Ella, Jenny and Jesse when she gets here. Shoot to kill - ask questions later. I know your secrets and I know you can do this."

I looked at Jenny. "You take care of our babies while I go get Steph."

The rest of the guys walked in suited up and dressed. "Get ready, I don't know how many there are - Steph killed two of them before they took her. They shot Job and Trouble is cut to ribbons from jumping through the glass door. Tank is with Skip and Hector following Steph's tracker on the water. I'm taking the chopper. When we get a fix on where they are I want you to take care of them."

They all nodded - Blank faces in place.

I rode up to the chopper pulled on my wet suit and Hal had the chopper ready to go. Cal was talking to Hector who was relaying coordinates.

"Cal, relay the coordinates to Brett.."

I was saying my mantra over and over …use your training and tools Beautiful I am coming…there is nothing in this world that will keep me from coming to get you…."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I laid there listening. Goon 1 was talking on the phone again.

"We have your woman Manoso! One million to get her back and another million to guarantee we don't rape her - she looks like a fun time girl."

"You come to us. We are in Maryland. We will call you in two hours - if you take a chopper that should give you plenty of time."

Well at least I know Ric isn't behind this. Too bad they could have had a whole lot more money if they had offered me up to Les and the guys. Think Stephanie - focus. My head is just killing me and I bet I have another concussion…hmmm…FOCUS don't let your mind drift away again. Les is depending on me to do my part …I hear him telling me he is coming…

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I picked up my phone and Rafe my devoted brother was yelling at me.

"Did you take her! Did you steal her away you mothe….f…ker! If you did I will kill you myself!"

"Rafe, I didn't take her. I just got a ransom call. One million for her return and an additional 1 million to guarantee they don't rape her. I have the money I'm getting ready to board my helicopter to bring them the money. They gave me two hours to get to Maryland for the exchange. I didn't do this!"

"You better be telling the truth Ric. We are tracking them and I will find out the truth."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The boat is slowing down …oh shit he is going to stun me again fried brains here I com….

I could not have asked for a better place to be restrained. They handcuffed me and I am in a chopper! Only one little problem - it is dark outside and I have only flown a chopper in daylight. I am so scared and my head feels like it is going to explode and my eye is swelling shut. I am using my training and tools and my cell phone that is in my pocket, once I pick the lock on my handcuffs. Hector, will be so proud! What kind of idiots don't check for weapons and cell phones - dumb idiots - my kind of idiots, ones that still haven't realized I am not the Stephanie Plum that lived in Trenton.

Yup, handcuffs are unlocked and I didn't even need a pineapple upside down cake to use as incentive. I really need to have my head checked out - these are really scary thoughts considering the situation I am in. I am getting weak from the knife wound so I took a precious few seconds to rip my shirt and tie it around my arm.

I climbed into the pilot's seat and started her up. Okay, the bad guys notice I am in the driver's seat and are running toward me. I swing the bird around in 360 degree circles and clip 2 of them and knock them down. Four others are standing there staring with their mouths open. I felt a suspicious bump. Crap the Stun gun man is climbing into the chopper. Think Steph Think! Rock the Chopper maybe he will fall off. Can nothing go right he is climbing in …. well, look at that he left the stun gun in the other seat. I guess he was going to fry my brains some more…take that you asshole. Oh yeah not so much fun on the receiving end is it?

Well, I'm up in the air and I have no idea where I am. Things are so confusing in the dark. Maybe I'll turn some and see if I can recognize some lights. Les will come for you remember he loves you and you love him. I love him. I Love Him. I LOVE HIM! How could I have not realized how much I LOVE HIM!

"Les, Hector needs to talk to you."

"She's moving and it's confusing. First, she was going in circles and now she is meandering back and forth at a high rate of speed. It doesn't make sense Les."

"Hold on Hector, my phone is ringing with Stephs ringtone."

"Les, I stole a helicopter and I'm flying it, but I don't know where I am. It's dark outside. I've never flown in the dark!"

"Relax Beautiful I'm in a chopper too and I will have Hector give me your coordinates and I will come and lead you home."

"Hector did you hear that! Beautiful stole a helicopter. Where is she?"

I looked over at Cal and Hal and they have the biggest shit eating grins on their faces. I think it matches mine.

"Take that you Bastard!"

"Beautiful, who are you talking to?"

"Stun gun goon 1 He climbed in the helicopter when I took off. I've been stunning him every time he wakes up but the charge is weakening."

"Steph, look straight ahead I'm about a mile straight ahead of you. Do you see Fort McHenry on your right. Follow me but I don't want you to touch down when we get home. I want you to hover. Okay? Next thing I need to know is did they hurt you?"

"The guy in the back of the chopper is the leader. He pistol whipped me and I have a small knife would in my arm. Ric wasn't responsible for this they asked him for two million ransom and he is bringing it to Maryland. How are my puppies. Job isn't…"

"No! Job is being operated on by Jim and Trouble was stitched up by Bobby. Do you see the landing strip lights? Remember hover Beautiful don't touch down."

"Why can't I land?"

"I'll explain it later, Beautiful"

I looked ahead and saw Lester land. I kept hovering about 2 to 3 feet off the ground like Les had me practice. All of a sudden the chopper bounced and there was Les grinning from ear to ear …

"you came for me-you said you would and you did"

"I will always come for you Beautiful. Now here is the hard part. Cal is coming on board and he is going to take over the controls I'm going to lower you to Hal who is going to hand you over to Bobby to check you out. If Bobby says you need to go to the hospital promise me you will. Please, Beautiful don't argue and I will meet you there . Hal is going to then get on board and I am going to fly this chopper away. I will be back in a little while. Okay?"

"Please don't leave Les."

"I have to Beautiful but I will be back soon."

Cal jumped on to the chopper he took control while Les kissed me. Then he lowered me to Hal. Hal handed me over to Bobby and got in the chopper and it took off."

"Hal, did you get the package from Louis?"

"Yes"

"Cal when that asshole wakes up find out who he is and find out who sent him."

"Brett do you read me?"

" Yes Les, we got the coordinates from Hector and this is the right place. We took four into custody and there are two more dead on the parking lot. They say that the crazy woman they kidnapped flew off in the chopper after she swung it around in circles hitting them with the skids. The leader made it on board but while she was flying circles they watched her stun him."

"Brett, that sounds about right. Beautiful was flying back home but was confused because it was dark - you won't believe this -the idiots never searched her and she had her phone. She called me up and I led her home."

"Les, the guys want to know if she is hurt?"

" The SOB pistol whipped her and stabbed her. Cal is interrogating him now as to who sent him. We are in the chopper they used. We are going to crash it so there won't be anything to come back at her. Some bleeding heart liberal will want her tried for murdering the men who kidnapped her. We can't let that happen. Do you understand me?"

"We don't have a problem here Les."

"See you back at home Brett."

"Who is he Cal?"

"He's a former Ranger who tried to get a job at Rangeman. He saw her in Baltimore and made some inquiries. He found out that she had left Ranger and Ranger wanted her back. He hatched the kidnapping and contacted Ranger tonight for 2 million 1 for getting her back and 1 million for not raping her. Gee, He must have had a weak heart he's dead."

"Well, lets strap him in. I'll drop you and Hal off near the boat. I'll take care of everything else. I'll see you in a few minutes."

Hal and Cal jumped out of the chopper and swam toward Skip's boat. They watched the Helicopter explode. The only one who was nervous was Skip. He didn't relax till Lester was on board.

The sun was rising when they pulled the boat up to the dock in front of the house. They got off the boat and were walked up to the house. Bobby met them at the door.

"Les, we have to get her to a hospital and a plastic surgeon her face is pretty bad. I think she has fractures. I don't know how she kept going with the pain she was in. She keeps saying over and over she heard you tell her you were coming…."


	16. Chapter 16

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 16

JE owns them I stand in awe

Previously…

"Les, we have to get her to a hospital and a plastic surgeon her face is pretty bad. I think she has fractures. I don't know how she kept going with the pain she was in. She keeps saying over and over she heard you tell her you were coming…."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Where is she?"

"Ella made her go up and take a shower and lay down." said Bobby

I took the steps three at a time. I entered her bedroom and Ella stood up from the chair she was sitting in next to the bed. She kissed me and thanked me for bringing Steph home.

"Ella, I couldn't have done anything else. I love her with everything I am. She is my life." I whispered to her.

"You are her life Les, I think she finally realized that tonight. Now, what we have to do is get her to a plastic surgeon as soon as possible. Bobby gave her something to take some of the pain away but, she needs to get to a doctor soon."

"What are we going to do, we don't know anybody here. Should we take her back to Trenton?"

"Les" whispered Jenny. "Why don't we call my doctor, he knows you and Steph. He was a SEAL and he will probably help without calling authorities to report a crime."

"Jenny, can you get me the number and I'll call him right after I hold Steph for a few minutes."

Ella and Jenny left to get the number and I slipped into bed and thanked God for his grace in saving Steph. After my prayer I kissed her softly on her lips and felt her arms go around my neck.

"You came for me. I heard you tell me over and over that you were coming and that you loved me. I believed you. Les, I realized tonight how much I love you. I've been afraid to let you in my heart, I've been afraid to trust you with my heart, I also realized I have loved you for years as my friend and as my best friend, I have never loved anyone like I love you."

"God Beautiful I love you so much. There is so much I have to tell you only now we have to get you to a specialist to look at your beautiful face. Jenny is getting me Dr. Riley's number. She thought he may know somebody and keep this all confidential."

There was a soft knock on the door and then it opened and Jenny and Ella walked back in. "Les, here is the phone number."

I called Dr. Riley's number and got his answering service. I held Steph in my arms. Five minutes later Dr. Riley called back.

"Dr. Riley, I need your help, but first I have to tell you Jenny is alright. Can I tell you something in confidence?"

"Absolutely."

"Last night Steph was abducted and pistol whipped and stabbed. She escaped and made her way home. Her stab wound has been taken care of by our friend who was a medic in the Rangers and now has his MD. She needs to see a plastic surgeon and we don't know any in this area. We need this to be handled very discretely. I will explain this in greater detail later, but right now I need to get her to a specialist. Can you help us?"

"I'll make a call Les and get right back to you. Where are you?"

"We are at our home on the Eastern Shore, but I have access to the helicopter."

"I'll call you right back."

Bobby came into the room. I told him about the conversation with Dr. Riley.

"Bomber, I need to take your blood pressure and vitals so I have them if they ask for them."

"Bobby that's okay but you also have to take Jenny's and give them to Dr. Riley. Can you listen to the babies heartbeats too?"

"Absolutely."

Within ten minutes Lester's phone rang.

"Les, a friend of mine that was in the SEALS with me is a plastic surgeon he will see you at his clinic. There is plenty of room to land your chopper. Here are the coordinates. He is there now and will see you as soon as you arrive."

Dr. Riley, Dr. Brown would like to give you Jenny's vitals."

"Dr. Riley, Jenny's blood pressure is high. The last pressure I took was 155 over 85 and she tells me this is higher than her last visit."

"Bring her with you, I'll meet you there. Do you have someone who can carry her I don't want her to walk."

"That won't be a problem - I guarantee it." said Bobby

Who is going to meet Hunter's plane when it lands at BWI?" asked Beth.

"Can you go and explain what happened Beth?"

"Oh, so I get to hear the cussing and yelling that he can't trust anyone to take care of Steph while he is away. Thanks guys!"

"You're very welcome" was said in unison by all those in the room.

"Okay, let's carry the girls out to the SUV's and then to the chopper." said Les.

"Hal has already serviced the chopper in case you needed it Les." said Beth.

"Hey Bobby where are going with my girl?"

"You snooze you lose Santos" yelled Bobby carrying Steph out of the room.

"Ella, do you think we should pack a bag for Steph and Jenny?" I asked as I picked up Jenny.

"Already done."

It took another 15 minutes to make our way out to the SUV's by the time Steph hugged, kissed and thanked everyone.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Tank was the pilot so I got to sit with Beautiful. I could see the painkiller Bobby had administered was wearing off. I whispered in her ear all the hopes I had for us. My phone rang and it was Jim. He wanted to talk to Steph. I watched her listen intently to what he was saying. She smiled and then frowned.

"You mean to tell me that there are no therapy pools for dogs who need them like Job will need one? I know we can use our pool for Job, but what about the other dogs who need one? Well, that is not satisfactory. Call the contractor immediately and put a rush on it and get one put in. Jim, cost is no object tell him if he gets it put in by the end of the week I'll give him a $10,000 bonus. Hire a therapist Jim so you can start the therapy needed at once. I'll cover the cost of the therapist." she hung up and turned to us

"Job is doing very well and he isn't going to lose his leg. He will need therapy which I guess you could tell. He was so brave, I have never seen anything like that in my life. I will never be able to tell you what it was like to see those puppies trying to protect me. All those dreams…"

Tank circled and brought the chopper down on a concrete pad next to another chopper. A tall, smiling man was standing there with a boy about 5 years old and Dr. Riley was standing next to him. Bobby got out of the chopper carrying Jenny and Dr. Riley greeted her and pointed over toward the clinic. I carried Beautiful and Dr. Johns introduced himself and his son Ben and led the way into the clinic. Steph asked Ella if she would go with Jenny and watch over her.

Dr Johns led the way into an examination room telling Ben to go play in his office. There were three assistants waiting.

"Okay, Steph let's see what we have here." He gently tilted her head looked into her eye that wasn't swollen shut. There was a soft knock on the door and Bobby was standing there.

"Dr. Johns this is our friend Dr. Bobby Brown. Sorry, Bobby I just love introducing you as a doctor." smiled Steph.

"It's nice to meet you. Steph, I concur with Dr. Brown I think it is possible that you have some facial fractures. We will start with some ex rays and then we will go from there. Joan will take you and I'll be with you in just a few minutes."

"Can Les come?"

"Of course he can."

The ex rays were taken and Dr. Johns asked Bobby to look at with him.

"You were right, she has a fracture zygomatic complex. Let's go talk to Steph and Les. Do you want to tell them and then I'll explain what we have to do.?"

"Yes sir."

We took the films and walked into Dr Johns office where Steph, Les and Ben were waiting. Ben was explaining to Steph and Les that he was going to be a SEAL like his Daddy had been.

"Okay Ben, I have to talk to Steph and Les now."

"Bye, beautiful lady and her friend the SEAL. See you later."

"Steph, you have in laymen's terms a broken cheekbone. It has to be surgically repaired. Dr Johns will explain the procedure to you."

"Steph, we will use general anesthesia and make a 1 inch incision right here in the hairline at your temple and put the cheekbone back in place. I don't see any other fracture in the eye socket or nose. You will have to stay here for 24 to 48 hours and then we will release you with antibiotics and painkillers. You'll have some discomfort but the pain will lessen."

"Do I have to do this?"

"Yes, but if you want your friend Bobby in the operating room with you it is fine with me, he can assist."

"Les, I can't do this. It's to much with what happened last night. I need to be with you and talk to you." cried Steph.

"Beautiful, you are the bravest woman I know and we have our whole life ahead of us. I'll stay with you by your side and Bobby will be with you. Look he gets to work with the best plastic surgeon and can learn from this experience."

"When was the last time you ate Steph?"

"We ate together last night Bobby."

"Good we can get started." said Dr. Johns.

Xxxxxxxxx

"Les, the surgery was successful. That is one feisty woman you have."

"You have no idea how tough she is. If you get Dr. Riley I'll explain how we got to this point and why it is essential to keep her identity confidential."

Xxxxxxxxx

Well, I'll say it again she is one feisty woman. She is also one of the most generous, forgiving woman I have ever known."

"Keep talking like that and she'll adopt all of you too especially Ben." laughed Les.

"Dr Johns, Ms Plum is having a reaction to one of the drugs…."


	17. Chapter 17

A New Kind Of Someday

Chapter 17

JE created them and I borrow them and reluctantly return them.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Previously…

"Dr Johns, Ms Plum is having a reaction to one of the drugs…."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

Dr. Johns and Bobby took off at a run and I followed. Joan stopped me at the door to recovery. I don't know how long I waited but it seemed like an eternity. Oh Beautiful, we have come so far why is it every time we seem to be able to move forward we go 6 steps backward. Please be okay, I love you.

Dr. Johns and Bobby came out and they were smiling. "It's going to be okay. She is having a reaction, but it isn't serious. She is agitated and can't seem to stop talking and laughing and crying. Would you like to see her?"

"Yes."

"I am going to have her moved to a room and you can join her there. Joan take him up to room 101."

They settled Steph into her room and Ella brought her things and said that Dr. Riley was concerned about Jenny's blood pressure so he was going to have her stay here at the clinic where she could be monitored and be reassured that Steph was going to be okay. Ella was going to stay with Jenny while I stayed with Steph.

Steph started to toss and turn and pull at her bandages. I got into bed with her and put my arms around her and held her hands. She seemed to quiet down and relax a little bit. She started to giggle.

"What are you giggling about Beautiful?"

"I was thinking about the first time I saw you Les. You were at DeJazzed and were working your 'charms' on two blonds and one redhead."

"I never saw you."

"I know. You were concentrating on the two blonds and redhead and then your phone rang and you had to leave. You looked like you were going to take someone's head off when you left. I thought you were one of the most handsome men I had ever seen. You were clearly a player. I was afraid of you." She started giggling and laughing then she tried to pull her hands out of mine and pull at her bandages and I stopped her. "I saw you again you know but you didn't see me."

"When was that?"

"When you went to mass early one morning. I was there and I thought you were nothing but contradictions. I didn't see you again for at least six months."

"If you saw me at mass and didn't see me for months I was probably on a mission. I didn't renew my contract, that was five years ago. When was the next time you saw me?" She didn't answer me and I looked down and she was asleep. I kissed her head and pulled up her sheet and covered her. I thought back on what she had said and I felt such remorse and guilt.

Joan came in and took her vitals, added some medicine to her IV.

Bobby came in and sat down.

"How is she doing?"

"She's in a lot of pain. She hasn't said anything but I can tell by the way she is fidgeting with her fingers. She always takes her thumb and rubs it against her middle finger on both hands when she is in pain. I've often wondered when she picked up that habit. I don't even think she realizes she does it. Have you heard from Rafe and Silvio?"

"No, not yet. I figure they will call Tank."

"Where's Tank?"

"He's at the nurse's station flirting. Do you know what happened between him and Lula?"

"He's never said. I won't ask. If he wants to tell us he will. He probably will tell Steph if he tells anyone. She just told me she saw me a couple of times before we ever met. I was in a bar named DeJazzed and I was picking up 2 blondes and a redhead. I was called away. She told me I scared her. She was a beautiful girl and I didn't even notice her. Maybe if I had she wouldn't have had to go through the crap she did with Morelli and Ric. I knew the minute I saw her I loved her and she was meant for me…"

"Well, it worked out Les she is yours now. You know that medicine that she was given that she reacted to sometimes loosens your tongue and lets you spill your thoughts. That may be what is happening with Steph. Are you going to be able to handle that?"

"Are you saying it acts like a truth serum?"

"Not exactly, but it just kind of lowers your ability to keep things inside and bottled up."

Xxxxxxxx

Meanwhile at the Sheraton Inn in Baltimore….

"Before we go talk to him, call Tank and see how Steph is doing."

"Tank, what's going on with Stephanie?….. Is she going to be alright?….. How long does she have to stay?… What kind of reaction?… Son of a Bitch! She just can't catch a break!…..No, we haven't seen him yet. We're going up now and we will call you after the meeting."

Silvio looked at Rafe, "What's wrong?"

"They flew her to a private clinic and she did have facial fractures. They operated and she's had a reaction to one of the drugs. Les, is with her. He is keeping her from ripping her bandages off by talking to her and holding her otherwise they would have had to put restraints on her. God, will she every catch a break."

xxxxxxxxx

"It's about time you assholes got here. Where do we take the money?"

"We don't need the money Ric. Everything has been taken care of."

The TV was on in the background and a reporter was standing on a grassy patch reporting a helicopter explosion over the bay during the early hours of the morning. Ric, Rafe and Silvio watched the report.

"Is she okay? Can I see her?"

"She's had a rough night and is getting medical help and no you can't see her. Maybe someday she will want to see you."

"How badly was she hurt?"

"Not nearly as bad as it could have been. She's been training and managed to take out 4 of her attackers."

A smile crossed his face. "She's one hell of a woman, I love her so much I can't believe I screwed up so badly that I lost her."

Rafe looked at Ranger "That's what I wanted to talk to you about Ric. You have to move on. Your obsession with her and trying to find her is putting her in harms way. Look at last night. This animal knew how bad you wanted her back, he abducted her, pistol whipped her and stabbed her. To collect a ransom, for what? She will never be yours again. You knew how she felt about being cheated on. She left a husband and she kicked Morelli to the curb. Did you have such a big ego that you thought you'd never get caught? Because it was your 'carelessness' that got you caught. Think about it Ric; you are never careless did you want to be caught? None of this makes sense."

"I love her."

"Well, that love almost got her killed last night. You have to move on. Go out and be seen with women. Get photographed with women and that will show the world you have moved on. If you love her like you say you do, you will do this so she will be safe. You always said you didn't want her hurt by your enemies. Now put your actions where your mouth has always been."

"Okay I'll stop looking for her. Will you tell her I still want to see her. That I love her and always will and that I am sorry about everything. Does she need anything? Take this money and give it to her and if she needs more she just has to let me know."

"She doesn't need your money."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I had continued to hold her, but I had my eyes closed. I wanted to see what she would do. She shifted to her side, I felt her lightly kiss my lips. I had all I could do to stay still. I had played the soft kisses and walking away for months and it was getting harder and harder to keep doing that and not wanting more. The only time I had given into really kissing her was when she kissed me. When I kissed her back she would pull away and look surprised. I'd smile at her and think things like stock options, how many points was the NASDAQ up or down yesterday, If I didn't think things like that I would have thrown her over my shoulder and taken her to where I would… God I wanted her.

She continued to kiss me softly, then she giggled again and then she whispered. "I told you that you scared me Les, but I didn't tell you why. I can tell you now because you are asleep. You scared me because you made me want to be one of the girls you flirted with. I couldn't be them because they were beautiful and desirable. I wasn't and you didn't even give me a passing glance. I was what my mother and Joe told me I was plain, boring and useless. You never noticed me. When Connie arranged for Ranger to help me he brought me back with him to Haywood and introduced me to you, Tank and Bobby. You got the strangest look on your face. I knew you were repulsed by me. It hurt so bad. After a while, when Ranger started paying attention, I knew he was after one thing and that I could resist. I always went back to Joe because he knew me for what I was."

"You offered me your friendship and I took it. Then the damn deal that Ranger offered as payment for his help. I took it because I figured he would never collect." her voice drifted off and I knew she had fallen asleep again.

What deal?

"She's talking about the DaChooch deal that Ranger made. He'd help and she'd sleep with him." Tank said from the corner of the room. "He played her and one night he walked in and took what he wanted. The next morning he got dressed and told her to go back to Morelli. She did - she ran back to Morelli. Ranger never expected that, he thought she would take whatever he offered. When she didn't he wanted her for himself, but she wouldn't do casual sex. He would come back from flirting with her and stealing kisses in the alley and beat the shit out of one of us in sheer frustration. You seemed to get the worst of it. I wonder if he sensed how she felt about you even if she didn't know it herself."

"When did you come into the room - I should be more aware."

"I came in when you were deep in thought about how much you love her. While she was kissing you and whispering."

"Have you heard from Rafe or Silvio?"

"Yes, he agreed to back off so she wouldn't be in danger. He still wants to talk to her, but won't push it."

"Do you think he means it?"

"Yes, I do." replied Tank.

"Where is Bobby?"

"He's assisting Dr. Johns. He's operating on a 17yr old who was fooling around on a motorcycle without a helmet. You know who he is Les? He's the doctor that gave Smitty back a face after that roadside bomb in Iraq."

"You're kidding! He performed a miracle."

"He got out of the service so he could make money so he could help kids who had facial deformities either from birth defects or accidents. He used to go away for months at a time operating all over the world. His wife was killed by a drunk driver last year so now it's just him and little Ben."

Steph was restless and her hands went to her bandages on her face. "Beautiful, are you in pain?"

"Yes, but I don't want anything for it. How can we help Tank?" whispered Steph.

"I don't know little girl, but I'm sure you will figure out a way. How are you feeling? Let them give you something for the pain."

"When they do give me something I feel like I'm flying without a plane and I want Les to teach me how to jump out of a plane and out of a helicopter. Will you Les? Please…." Then she started giggling again which seemed to lead into her spilling her inner thoughts. Tank said he'd be outside, some of the guys were coming over to make sure she was really alright.

"Lester, Lester, Lester" she giggled.

"What Beautiful."

"Since the first day Ranger introduced us you called me that. I knew you didn't mean it - you were just being nice to me."

"No love, I meant it in every way. I had never met anyone like you. You are as beautiful on the inside as you are on the outside."

"Les do you want to know something? I've only had sex with 3 men. You had 3 women at a time. I could never satisfy you. Look, I wasn't enough for a sleezy lawyer of a husband who cheated on me, an arrogant cheating detective Morelli, or Ranger who swore he loved me was going to marry me and would never betray me and did. I'm trying to guard my heart and not let you in. I have loved you for five years as my friend and best friend. I will not survive if I let you in. I am inexperienced and there must be something wrong with me. My mother always told me no one would or could love me. She's my mother and she told me over and over she didn't love me." She was sobbing by this time. "Les, I love you with all my heart I want to raise the twins with you and I want to have your beautiful babies. I dream about those babies - golden in color, green emerald eyes, crooked grins and sun kissed hair. It can never be. I wouldn't survive you leaving me….Oh God I love you but I can't let you in my heart."

"Beautiful, I love you, I've loved you since the moment I saw you. The look I gave you that you said was strange - it was because I looked at you and saw my soul mate. I knew our love had traveled through time. From that moment on I never looked at anyone else. If I couldn't have you I didn't want anyone. Look at the people around you who love you. I love you, Ella and Louis, Hunter, Hector, Jesse, Tank, Bobby, Hal, Cal and Skip. Vince, Manny, Brett, Binkie shall I go on….they are and were willing to give up their lives for you. They love you! My God Beautiful I love you please give me a chance to prove it. I don't want babies that look like me I dream of babies that have porcelain skin with sapphire eyes, beautiful pouty lips and gorgeous golden brown curly hair. I want you to have my babies. Please Beautiful give us a chance. God Beautiful, give me the chance to love you. I'm begging Steph let me in your heart just as you are in my heart….please…"

"Forever Les?"

"Forever and ever Beautiful."


	18. Chapter 18

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 18

JE owns, I borrow, I return

Xxxxxxxxxx

Previously…

Forever Les?

Forever and ever Beautiful

Xxxxxxxxxx

Steph had fallen back to sleep in my arms and I had a smile on my face that went from ear to ear. She's going to open her heart and it is such a big and generous heart. I've never seen anyone with as big of a heart as she has.. She loves me and she wants to have my babies. I know I still have to go slow to overcome all the fear and insecurities she has; but I am a patient man.

Now I have to start romancing her, I also have to find a way to get some alone time with her which is practically impossible with the guys around. They all think they should have a say in anything that involves Beautiful. I wonder what Beth did with Hunter? I thought he would be here at least an hour ago to weigh in on how we all screwed up.

Joan came in and checked Steph's vitals and put more medicine in her IV.

She smiled and said it was an antibiotic and when Steph was discharged she would have them to take at home. Dr. Johns would be in soon to check on Steph.

"How is she doing?" asked Dr. Johns looking at Steph's chart.

"She's in quite a bit of pain, but she won't ask for anything."

"Is she still having a reaction to the other drug?"

"Yes, but not as much as before. She's calmed down but still has giggles between the tears."

"I understand from Dr. Brown she was opening up to you." he said laughing.

"You could say that." I said laughing.

" I am so glad that you find her having a drug reaction funny. Strange attitude for a doctor and someone who supposedly cares for her Santos."

"Hunter, I would like you to meet Dr. Johns and before you stick your foot further in your mouth and down your throat, no one was treating anything to do with Stephanie lightly. Dr. Johns is one of the most renowned Plastic Surgeons in the United States, a former SEAL and doctor who opened his clinic up today to examine Stephanie and proceeded to operate and reset her cheekbone."

"I'm sorry Dr Johns, I am a little upset that I was gone for 3 days and Stephanie was abducted and subjected to this violence."

"Oh stuff it Hunter you act like it was Lester and the guys fault and it wasn't." said Steph. "Now if you are going to be an ass go home." then she started to giggle.

"Did you hear me Les I called Hunter an ass! Can I call him a horses patoot? What about…." she broke out in giggles and then started crying. I wrapped my arms around her and said "You could call him a horses ass and combine the two." She started giggling again.

"Well, Les I see you have everything under control - I'll leave you to the roller coaster of giggles to tears. I'll be back in about an hour. I promised Ben a game of basketball."

"What in the world is wrong with her?" asked Hunter.

"The drug reaction she had was that it lowered her verbal inhibitions."

"I love you Lester! I love you. I'm opening my heart. When can we start having babies. I want your green-eyed babies…."

"That was one of the inhibitions that got lowered." I said smiling.

Ella walked in with Jenny, "How is my sweet girl doing?"

"I'm good Ella. Lester is going to be the Daddy for the twins" she burrowed into Lester's shoulder and started to cry again.

"I can see that sweet girl." laughed Ella. "You know she is going to deny this when the drug is out of her system."

"Not going to happen I have it all on tape to remind her. I'm going to be the Daddy to those twins." laughed Les holding up his recorder.

"Santos I can't believe you are recording this - this is entrapment, it's unethical, it's…" sputtered Hunter.

"It's brilliant!" laughed Skip. "You would have done the same thing Hunter if it had been you and she wouldn't admit she loved you and don't deny it. How is she doing?"

"Better, I know she will be happy you are here Skip."

"I brought you a couple of dry shirts Les. Tank told me about the tears."

"I appreciate the thought Skip. Hey Beautiful, Skip is here." Steph shifted and started to reach for her bandages. "No Beautiful, you have to leave your bandages in place. Please let them give you something for the pain."

"I don't want a needle."

"They will put it in your IV, look Skip is here and so is Ella and Jenny."

"Jenny, how are you are you okay? What did Dr Riley say?"

"Hey Buddy…I thought you and your Daddy were going to play basketball." asked Lester.

"He got a telephone call from my Grandma and he had to go .. He didn't want me to hear him argue with her…he doesn't say anything but she wants to take me away and I don't want to leave my Daddy ..my Mommy left and he is sad.."

One look at Beautiful, Ella, Jenny and Beth's face told the story. Ben and Dr. Johns had just joined the family.

"Hunter, Cal and Hal weren't you just saying that you wanted to play basketball and were looking for a fourth player to even the sides up." asked Steph.

"We sure were Sweetheart. What's your name Buddy?"

"Ben"

"Hey, Ben did you know that Cal and Hal are SEALS."

"My Daddy was a SEAL" he said walking out the door dribbling his basketball with Cal, Hunter and Hal.

Hector walked in looked at Jenny and picked her up. "You are not supposed to be walking around Jenny."

"Hector, Dr. Riley said I could…"

Hector walked out the door carrying Jenny with her protesting she wasn't tired.

"I guess Jenny is going back to bed" laughed Ella.

Joan came in and Steph admitted she was in pain. Joan added something to her IV and Steph was sound asleep in minutes.

"So Lester what is your plan now, besides tease and retreat?" asked Ella.

"I have to find time for us to be alone, it's damn impossible with all the guys around. I'm going to need help Ella. I know the first thing I'm going to do when we go back home and she isn't in so much pain."

"How's that one surprise coming?" asked Skip.

"It's almost finished. I'd like to have some of my cars shipped in. Can I have them unloaded at your place and store them there Skip?"

"Of course you can, do you have some interesting cars Les?"

"Oh yeah. I've been collecting for years. Steph as no idea."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_**24 hours later….**_

"Are you ready to go home Beautiful?"

"I can't wait to get home. Is everything ready for Ben and Dr. Johns?"

"Yes, Cal and Hal have bought and assembled the freestanding adjustable Basketball hoop, they have bought everyone inline skates, yours and Jenny's are hidden, they bought bikes for everyone and yours and Jenny's have not been assembled, Ben's has training wheels. Ella asked Dr. Johns for all Ben's favorite foods - you will be happy to know he concurs with you that Captain Crunch is food from the Gods. Louis made sure there is a dimmer on the room for Ben and Hector has put in an intercom so that if Ben wakes up his Dad can hear him. Did I miss anything Beautiful?" I asked laughing.

"When can I see Trouble and Job? Did Ella get them special treats?"

"Yes. Beautiful, you and I need to have a long talk."

"I told you I don't remember anything from yesterday."

"I beg to differ, you remember Ben, Ben's basketball, Cal, Hunter, Hal playing basketball…"

"Well, I remember that, but I don't remember anything else…"

"Oh Really! How about this.."

"I love you Lester! I love you. I'm opening my heart. When can we start having babies. I want your green eyed babies…."

"Where did you get that!"

"I recorded it all so I could remind you that you love me Beautiful." I walked up to her and put my arms around her "I promised you forever and ever Stephanie and you promised me and I won't take one second less."

With that said, I kissed her and it wasn't a little peck. I kissed her with all the love and yearning I had been holding back for five years. When I stopped kissing her she just looked at me so I pulled her close and kissed her again.

"Oh Yuck Daddy he's kissing Beautiful Lady"

"Yes he is and doing a mighty fine job of it Ben." laughed Dr. Johns.

"Are you ready Doctor to become part of Stephanie's world?"

"Only if you all call me Tom."

"Well, Tom get ready for the ride of your life. Nothing will have prepared you for this."

We took off in both helicopters and when we landed there were SUV's, ATV's and dirt bikes waiting. Steph tried to head for the ATV's but Les picked her up and deposited her in the SUV and Hector who was carrying Jenny put her in next to Steph and seat belted them both in. They looked out at Ben jumping up and down next to his child sized battery operated ATV. Tom was standing there with a stunned look. Les walked over to him and said "I tried to warn you, we will walk next to Ben while he learns to maneuver his vehicle."

"Give Steph time and she will explain it Tom. Every one of these men love her like a sister. She made us misfits into a family. When she was abducted the other night each one of us reverted back into the blank faced soldier and mercenary. Nothing would have stopped us in getting her back. We have been training her in fun exercises to take care of herself. One of her dogs jumped through a glass door and led the others to her. Trouble needed over 150 stitches but he kept going to get to her. Her St Bernard leapt into the air to protect her and was shot. Her female boxer sat on one of the abductors chests till we got there. Steph had taken care of two with throwing stars that was after she was pistol whipped and stabbed. Brett, who you will meet, is teaching her how to fly a plane and I was teaching her how to fly the chopper. They handcuffed her in a chopper. She picked the locks (courtesy of Hector's lessons) and stole the chopper swinging it in 360 degree circles to knock off 2 of the abductors. She then stunned the leader and called me on her cell phone because she didn't know where she was because it was dark. I came and led her home."

"The helicopter explosion over the bay"

"They won't be coming back for her."

"Good, otherwise I would have to gear up and join you. How are her dogs?"

"Nix the female boxer is at the house with Trouble the male with the stitches. Job is being brought home tonight because he is missing the boxers so much it is hurting his recovery. He needs water therapy which we can do here but, when Steph heard that there wasn't a therapy pool in the area she ordered one built this week with a $10,000 if it is finished this week. She's hired a therapist and any animal that needs the therapy will be treated at no cost."

"Get ready, the welcome will be overwhelming!" and it was.

The jukebox was blaring. The tables where set up for a crab feast, Corn was roasting. Skip was manning the grill flipping burgers, steaks and hot dogs. Rafe was slow dancing with Beth by the pool. Tank picked Ben off the ATV and put him up on his shoulders and handed him a basketball. Ben was sitting so high that he dropped the ball into the net. Jesse walked by and handed Tom a beer and Vince put his arms around her to send a nonverbal warning as to who she belonged to. When Hector stopped the car and unbuckled Steph the place went silent except for the music. Hunter picked up Steph and Hector picked up Jenny.

Each and every man stepped forward to take Steph in their arms and kiss her and hug her. She was home and she was their home.

"I have never seen anything like this." said Tom.

"Daddy, all the men are kissing Beautiful! But not like Lester does!"

"Good thing Ben!" and the place broke out in laughter.

The reunion between Steph and her puppies brought tears to the eyes of everyone.

The party ended about midnight and I carried Steph up to bed where Ella helped her change. I slept with her in my arms and at about 4:40 AM I woke her up with kisses. "Les it's way to early to get up."

"Not this morning Beautiful, I have something to show you." I picked her up and slipped a sweatsuit over her pj's and slipped on her shoes and carried her down the steps.

"What's that sound Les, I can't place it."

"Patience Beautiful." On the lawn leading down to the water was a hot air balloon. Ella and Louis were there and they kissed and hugged both of us.

I placed Steph in the basket and climbed in and wrapped my arms around her. The captain pulled in the weights and started to let the balloon rise.

I whispered in her ear, "I love you Beautiful and there is only one way to start the beginning of our adventure together and that is to watch the sunrise together. The sky is the limit for us."


	19. Chapter 19

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 19

JE owns them - I wish I did -

_Previously…_

"_I love you Beautiful and there is only one way to begin our adventure together and that is to watch the sunrise together. The sky is the limit for us."_

Xxxxxxxxxx

The balloon started to ascend and I wrapped my arms around her. I looked at her face and saw the wonder and excitement. She looked up at me and smiled. I thought my heart would burst with joy. No one had ever taken the time to show her love, care and romance. She had always been the one giving, never receiving. I vowed there would not be one day in her life from this point on that she wasn't loved and cherished by me.

We floated along and the pilot of the balloon pointed out different landmarks. At first, there was a slight lightening in the sky in the east. No one said a word. Then a slight sliver of silver tinted with pink. The pink light raced across the sky, you were afraid to blink your eyes for fear you would miss a second of this spectacular show. The light crept up behind the few clouds, they almost looked like mountains being outlined. Then the sun burst out lighting the sky with pinks, oranges, and silver rays. It was spectacular, but not as spectacular as the smile on her face when she turned in my arms, put her arms around my neck and kissed me. She pulled away and cupped my face with her small hands and whispered "Thank you." She took my breath away.

I tightened my arms around her and whispered in her ear. "I love you Beautiful and I am never letting you go."

"Forever Les?"

"Forever and ever Beautiful."

Ella had packed a picnic basket with a thermos of coffee and fresh baked rolls and I laughed at Steph's face when she opened up a box of Boston Cream doughnuts from the Tasty Pastry that I had asked Brett to fly up for yesterday.

He loaded up on other doughnuts it's a miracle the plane could take off.

She moaned and James the pilot of the balloon muttered something to the sound of "lucky man" and I looked at him and smiled and said "yes."

When we returned most of the guys were sitting on the lawn drinking coffee and eating doughnuts. Ben was racing around in his fireman pj's with a jelly doughnut in each hand and jelly down the front of his pajamas. Hector was snapping pictures with a camera that had more zooms and lenses than I had ever seen. I jumped out of the basket and picked up Steph.

I turned to everyone and said that the balloon was here for the whole day and whoever wanted to take a ride was welcome to do so after Ella and Louis got back. Ella and Louis laughed and to Ella's surprise Louis picked her up and carried her across the lawn and put her in the basket. He climbed in and kissed Ella to the cheers and laughter of the guys and the "Yuck" of Ben.

"How are you doing Ben?" asked Steph bending down to look at him.

"I'm doing good Beautiful. The guys and I are playing a game of basketball later after Tank, Daddy and I check the crab traps. Skip is going to help me learn to fish. Right Daddy?"

"Yes Ben, but you need to call Steph - Steph not Beautiful."

"Why?"

"Because that's Lester's name for Steph."

"Well he can share." said Ben crossing his arms across his chest and sticking his chin out.

"Yes Ben, I can share. Only you and I can call Steph Beautiful. No one else okay?" said Lester kneeling down extending his hand to Ben.

Ben put his little jelly smeared hand in Les's hand and shook hands.

Jesse walked up with Vince and asked Les if they could take a ride in the balloon. Hector walked up and looked at Vince. "Only if Jenny and I go with you to chaperone."

"Who is going to need the chaperone big brother?" laughed Jesse.

"Might I remind you that Jenny is 7 months pregnant." said Hector. "I'm just making sure she is being looked after."

"Looked after big brother or looked at?"

Hector stormed off and Jesse looked at me. "Steph, I've never seen him act this way that's why I'm having so much fun."

Vince looked stunned. "Jesse do you think.."

"Oh yeah… he's interested Vince."

"Oh this is good, for all the grief he has given me about being older than you."

"Vincent, you made me a promise and you will not go back on it!" said Steph.

"Bombshell, I would never break a promise to you."

"Bombshell?" said Tom. "Bombshell! I knew you looked familiar."

"Please don't tell Ben."

"I won't, but now I want to go in the house and look at your face okay?"

"Later"

"Now Beautiful, let Tom look and change the bandages. I have a hidden stash of Boston Cremes."

"You don't play fair Lester Mateo Santos!"

"I never said I did or would." laughed Lester grabbing her hand and pulling her to the house.

After Tom checked Steph's face and arm she decided to lay down for awhile.

"How's it look Tom?"

It looks good Les. She's going to have a scar on her arm. Do you know how close that was to the artery?"

"Yes, Bobby told me. There have been so many times that Steph has had close calls." Hunter pointed out to all of us that her anonymity was her greatest protection. I worry all the time which is why we are still going to train her. Beth is a bodyguard. Hector trained his sister Jesse and is training both of them now to watch each others backs."

"Never take her for granted. I know, I didn't realize how quickly you can lose the people you love. Ben is having a hard time, I catch him with this sad look on his face. He's been smiling more this weekend than he has in months."

"Beautiful, has that effect on people."

"…about the Beautiful…"

"Steph loves it and so do I. Don't worry."

"You're good with kids."

"I'd better be with the twins on the way and if it were up to me I'd have a dozen with Beautiful if I could."

"Why don't you go up and lay down with her. You didn't get much sleep in the last 48 hours."

xxxxxxxxxxxx

I walked into her room and looked down at my love. She had taken a shower and had on ….a wonder woman top and shorts! I couldn't help myself I laughed out loud. She looked up and said "I knew you would get a kick out of these I found them at one of the outlets and I bought them."

She lifted up her arms to me and I climbed into bed.

I held her and kissed her and said. "I can't change my past. I admit up until 5 years ago I was a player. I kept searching and I never found what I was looking for. You told me you had seen me twice and I didn't see you. I didn't see you Stephanie but I felt you were near. Then one day I was introduced to you and I saw you. I knew you were my soul mate that I had been searching for. Ric had laid claim to you and I thought that I would never get to be with you like we were intended to be. I chose to be your friend and then to be your best friend. I was never with anyone after seeing you. I promise you that I will never be with anyone but you. I love you Beautiful and as hard as its going to be we are going to wait. I want you to know and understand that I cherish and love you for you. I want our first time together to be special and I want you to marry me. Will you marry me?"

"Yes, I'll marry you. I love you and I think I have since I saw that handsome man in deJazzed. I don't want a big wedding Les I just want the family."

"Have you looked at our family lately Beautiful -there is nothing small about it.. What kind of ring do you want?"

"I want a plain gold band."

"No, I mean engagement ring Beautiful."

"None, I want a plain yellow gold wedding band."

"Then that's what we will both wear."

"You would wear a wedding ring Les?"

"Of course I will." I leaned in and kissed her neck with soft kisses and I gently kissed up her neck till I reached her ear. I felt her catch her breath and I discovered that she was very sensitive around her ear. I traced the shell of her ear with my tongue and I backed away and blew a little whisper of a breath over it. She shivered and I smiled and backed away again.

"Stephanie, I'm going to get up and leave this room and you in it. It's going to be one of the toughest things I've had to do. I meant what I said, we are going to wait. I'm going to show you what it means to have me love and cherish you."

I walked out of the room, down the steps through the kitchen past Tank, Bobby and Tom, out the door and jumped in the pool fully clothed. They followed me out to the pool laughing their asses off.

"Is this one of your famous tease and retreat moves Les?" asked Bobby.

"I thought you were going to take a nap Les." said Tom.

"Gentlemen," said Steph walking by in white bikini with a white straw hat shading her face. She walked over and sat in one of the lounge chairs. Bobby and Tom stared and then said "Santos you're a lucky man." Tank walked over and sat down next to her.

"Little girl, that man loves you."

"Tank, I have never loved anyone like I love Les. I am so lucky."

"Tank I think it is time to have Maria and Ricardo, and the girls visit. Ella has missed Maria and I have missed all of them." I know Tank loves to strategize so I handed the whole project over to him. I asked him to invite Les's mother, sister and brother as a surprise. Lester's Dad had died when he was a teenager. Tank told me he thought Les would love it. I told him to do whatever it took and make whatever arrangements he wanted. It was his project. He just grinned. He had an unlimited budget. That made him grin even more.

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Later in the afternoon Rachel called Steph and told her that the doctor who they were supposed to see at the end of the week had called and cancelled their appointment. Steph said she would call her back.

"Tom do you know any excellent kidney specialists?"

"Yes, Why"

So Steph explained what was going on. She explained that Rachel's mother instinct was screaming.

"Well, I can understand the mother instinct. Mothers and in my case fathers know their child better than anyone and if Rachel's instinct is telling her this is more-it probably is. Wait a minute and I can make a call.

"Mary, its Tom Johns I need you to look at a 13 year old girl. She's had a continuous kidney infection that the doctors in Florida can't seem to get ahead of. Can you look at her? Wait a minute...Steph when can Julie be up here? Mary when can you see her, they will send a plane for her. Is Wednesday okay Steph? She will have her at your office and a friend Dr. Brown will come along. He was a medic in the Rangers and just graduated from med school. He's going to intern at University of Maryland. He's known Julie since she was born. They'll bring all her records with them."

"Okay Steph it's set up for 10am Wednesday."

"Les, do you think Brett can fly down in the Lear jet on Tuesday or do you need the bigger plane?"

"Find out how many are coming Beautiful we'll make it work."

Xxxxxxxxxxxxxx

On Monday Tank told me the Manoso family was arriving on Thursday. Mama, Papa, Abuela, Rafe, Ceila, Lily and Anna plus spouses and children. He also said Les's Mom Ginny and his brother John and sister Janie were arriving at the same time. He and Hal were flying to Newark to pick them up.. We decided to have the bull roast on Saturday night and there would be a band. Tank winked and told me he had arranged for fireworks. I scheduled the caterers for dinner on Thursday and Friday night and the bull roast Saturday.

It was going to be a wonderful weekend filled with fun, family and love.


	20. Chapter 20

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 20

JE owns them and make oodles of money

Xxxxxxxx

Sunday I noticed in the afternoon that Ben seemed sad. I brought him out a cookie and asked what was wrong. He looked up and his eyes were swimming in tears. "Let's go for a walk Ben and see if any of the peaches are ready to pick in the orchard." I held his little hand and we walked up to the orchard. Do you want to tell me what's bothering you handsome?"

"My Mommy called me and Daddy that Beautiful." his voice quavered.

"Of course she did. You and your Daddy are both handsome."

"I miss my Mommy."

Please God let me say the right things to this beautiful little boy. "Of course you miss your Mommy. You loved her. She loved you and I'm sure she didn't want to leave, but sometimes we get called home to be with God."

"That's what my Daddy tells me, but it's my fault she left and didn't come home."

"Oh no Ben, it's not your fault."

"It is I made her have the accident."

"No Ben this is not your fault honey."

"It is! I didn't want her to go and I cried and told her if she wasn't going to read me my story before bed she shouldn't come home."

"Ben, you were the love of your mother's heart and life just like your Daddy was. You had nothing to do with that terrible accident. Did you know Ben my Grandma just went to Heaven a little while ago. I bet she is with your Mommy right now. I thought my Grandma was mad at me for something I had done too. I know now she wasn't - did you know sometimes she sends me little messages from heaven."

"She does?"

"Yes, do you want to see if my grandma and your Mommy have sent any today?"

"Yes."

"Okay, now let's lay down in this grass and look up at the sky."

"What are your favorite things Ben? Mine are flowers and teddy bears and of course I love dogs."

" I like dogs too. I was going to get a dog for my birthday. I guess Daddy forgot."

"I'm sure your Daddy didn't forget, but he has been so busy taking care of you and loving you that he probably just put it off for a while. Look Ben right over there in the clouds is a beautiful puppy. Do you see it. I bet your Mommy sent that to you."

"Look Beautiful there's a flower - do you think that's from your Grandma?"

" I think it is Ben."

"May I lay down Ben and look at the clouds?"

"Sure Daddy, maybe Mommy sent you a message."

"I hope she did." Tom looked over at me and mouthed thank you. "Do you think Nix, Trouble and Job's doctor would know about any puppies Ben?"

"Are we going to get a puppy Daddy?"

"If we find one you like."

"Daddy, what if we find two…."

I left Tom and Ben looking at the clouds and there leaning against the tree was Les. I walked over to him and he wrapped his arms around me and I cried. I cried for Ben and I cried for Tom. I cried for the woman, that I didn't know, who had to leave her handsome little boy and her handsome husband.

"Want to get some lunch or take a walk?" asked Les.

"First, lets call Jim and see if he knows about any puppies, then let's take a walk…..How long were you and Tom there?"

"We were there the whole time, we had been walking around looking at the property. He was telling me that something had been bothering Ben since his Mom died but no one had been able to find out what it was. To think that little boy has been walking around with that guilt. You did a wonderful thing today Steph. Now that Tom knows what it is he can help."

"Have you worked everything out with Brett to pick up Julie?"

"Yes, it's taken care of. How about Tank?" I asked reaching for her hand.

"He's in his glory being back in charge. He and Hal are flying to Newark to pick up everybody." Caterers are hired, band is hired and he's even arranged fireworks and a permit for them."

We walked down to where the guys were attempting to make a beach. I stood in astonishment; they had built a beautiful gazebo with a swing and benches.

Les put his arms around me and said "We wanted this to be a surprise for you." I did the only thing I could do I cried. He held me tight and wiped my tears and told me not to cry he never want me to cry again. We sat on the swing and looked out at the water.

"I will get a watery burial if I ever hurt you. If they so much see a tear from your beautiful blues I'm a dead man. By the way, that was the mildest threat. You would not want to hear what Hector has planned for me. Pity Vince, he may be the one Hector practices on if he doesn't keep his eyes off Jessie."

"They wouldn't…"

"They did and I believe them…but I will never hurt you."

We sat in the swing looking out at the water and made out like a couple of teenagers. Nix and Trouble were asleep at our feet. Suddenly, they lifted their heads and stared at the brush.

"Okay, you two, you've had enough time we, the self appointed chaperones, have arrived. Okay, Men the target has been spotted complete the mission."

Lester was trussed up by Manny, Brett and Ram carried and loaded on an ATV.

I was given a lot gentler handling, I was carried by Hector to his ATV and taken back to the house, where everyone was waiting and laughing. Les arrived a few minutes later but it was apparent he had been dunked in very cold water and had feathers all over him.

He was laughing and spitting out feathers. He came up to me and kissed me senseless.

"Hey Hey! Watch that - we could have used hot tar Santos!"

"Get your own girl Manny."

I took the garden hose and got the feathers off Lester, Ben helped.

Tom came over and watched Ben and then asked if he could talk to us.

"Steph, I want to thank you for helping Ben. I knew something was bothering him but no one was able to get him to talk. You were able to reach him by talking to him as a child and letting him talk. Thank you. Ben loves it here and I love seeing him here. I would like to take you up on your offer to stay here with Ben. We can stay in one of the bungalows you offered and I will make arrangements for a Nanny for Ben."

"No nanny Tom, there are enough people around to take care of Ben and when September comes get him on and off the bus or take him to school. He needs to feel we are all his family. When he makes friends he will have lots of room here to bring them home and have a lot of fun and Ella's cookies. In case you haven't noticed he's outside now trying to get a baseball game going. The guys love him already. Does he know how to play baseball?"

"No, just what he's seen on TV. This ought to be fun."

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"Wake up Beautiful, I have a full day planned for us."

"Les, I love you but go away! Come back in a few hours!"

"No can do, get up or I will get you up by turning on the shower with cold water and picking….that's my girl."

"How can you be so frigging cheerful in the morning - it isn't natural, it isn't right…...kiss me again Les that makes getting up.. …better."

Steph and I were quietly talking while eating breakfast when Ram, Manny, Bobby and Binkie walked in and grabbed coffee and sat down with us.

"What's up?" asked Manny.

"Nothing." I replied.

"Why are you two dressed up?"

"No particular reason Manny. I just felt like wearing a skirt for a change."

"Where are you going?" asked Bobby.

"I'm taking Beautiful out for a ride."

"Great, I wanted to see more of the eastern shore of Maryland."

"You are not invited." I told them.

"Why not." griped Ram.

"Because, I want some time alone with Beautiful and you guys are always around."

"Are you saying we are a thorn in your side?" laughed Binkie.

"No, you are a rosebush of thorns in my ass. You are not going."

"Bomber, May we g.."

"No, today is Les and my day, all alone, sightseeing, talking, holding hands."

The four of them looked at each other and sat down at the table.

"What are you two up to?"

"Guys what if I told you we were slipping away to find a place to be alone and make mad passionate love." laughed Steph.

"You would never tell us that Bomber and if it were true - your face would be as red as this ketchup."

"Okay Les, we have to tell them the truth, we are flying to Mexico today to get married."

"Nice try Bomber, but we know the planes are being serviced for the trips later in the week. Where are you to going?"

"We are going alone sightseeing and holding hands. We will stop where we want to, eat when we want to and come home when we want to." said Les.

Les was holding my hand and walked me out to the car, it was a beautiful, red Ford Mustang with the top down. "Your chariot awaits Beautiful."

We first went to Easton, Maryland. We meandered around the town looking at shops, holding hands, stopping occasionally, we rented bikes and took a bike tour. We turned in the bikes and then made our way down Rt. 33 to St. Michaels.

We had heard about St. Michaels but we were not prepared for it. Les and I took the walking tour and meandered through the streets where 18 and 19 Century homes were built. Les told me a legend about the town that he had learned in school. It seems that during the War of 1812 a battery was built to protect the town and its shipbuilding industry. The British came into town and blew up the battery. During the night the townspeople put lanterns in the trees and woods and kept their homes dark. The British bombarded the "town" and sailed away. The town and shipbuilding survived. They now say that St. Michaels is the "Town that fooled the British." We saw the Cannonball House which was the only house that was hit. The cannonball crashed through the roof and rolled down the steps. People still are living in that house - it was amazing.

We ate lunch down at the wharf sampling the local wine with our lunch. We were whispering and kissing and making plans to go to the Maritime Museum when we heard laughter and hoots. Up walked a little boy, "Hi Beautiful, want to go and look at some puppies with Daddy and the guys?" and that afternoon we added two Chesapeake Bay Retrievers to the family. We also learned that we had to search the car for trackers if we wanted time alone.


	21. Chapter 21

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 21

JE owns and loans, I borrow and return with sorrow

a/n In the previous chapter I had Ben getting 2 Chesapeake Bay Retrievers, although, a wonderful breed of dog they may not have been a good choice for a small child. Labrador Retrievers are a much better choice for a child because of their gentle nature and devoted disposition to their families.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

We ate lunch down at the wharf sampling the local wine with our were whispering and kissing and making plans to go to the Maritime Museum when we heard laughter and hoots. Up walked a little boy, "Hi Beautiful, want to go and look at some puppies with Daddy and the guys?" and that afternoon we added two Labrador Retrievers to the family. We also learned that we had to search the car for trackers if we wanted time alone.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Les, you remember that tonight we have the last birthing class and tomorrow morning we have Jenny's appointment with Dr. Riley right?"

"Of course I do Beautiful. When we get home let's go online and start looking at baby furniture for the nursery. We'll need two of everything including two rocking chairs for the nursery and 2 rocking chairs for downstairs."

"Two rocking chairs?"

"I'm going to be a hands on Dad, Beautiful. These babies are our babies - our son and our daughter."

"Les, if you weren't driving this car and the guys weren't following us I would kiss you."

"Save the kiss till we get home and ditch the guys."

"We need to find them girlfriends or at least a life so they can stop focusing on ours."

"Beautiful, they all have girlfriends - just not the ones you bring home."

"That is so wrong on so many levels."

"Les, we need to think of names for the babies. Do you have any ideas?"

"Yes, I would love the little girl to be called Emily, that was my grandmother's name. What about you?"

"I love Emily and I have to admit I like the boys name Jordan and for his middle name I like your middle name Mateo." said Steph.

"Jordan Mateo Santos, sounds good, what about a middle name for Emily?"

"Ella's middle name is Grace so how about Emily Grace Santos?

"Perfect"

"Les, you remember how to lose a tail don't you?"

"Why Ms. Plum are you suggesting we ditch the guys?" grinned Les.

"Well, Mr. Santos if we want some more alone time to discuss certain subjects we may have to resort to devious behavior - I heard you used to specialize in devious behavior. Crap, I forgot about the trackers they put on the car."

"You mean the ones that while you all were looking at the puppies I took off this car and put in their car." laughed Les.

"You're so bad - I love you." We waved at the guys, Les floored it and made some quick turns and we were gone. It's hard to hide a red Mustang Convertible unless you're Les and pull into a new car lot among a red convertible sale.

"Did you get this car here?"

"Yes, and I bought you a blue one to match your eyes, it's at Skip's."

"That's hardly what one would consider a Mom car Les." laughed Steph.

"Beautiful, you are sexy and gorgeous, I want you to have a fun car. We'll get you a Mom car too. Did you know that up the road about a mile is a Dairy Queen, do you feel like some ice cream?"

Xxxxxxxxxx

Last night we finished the birthing classes. Jenny and I passed. Les excelled. All the women in the class wanted him as a coach, he has such a calming, good natured disposition, even their husbands wanted him to help because of his running commentary. The leader offered him a job as an assistant. It will be interesting to see if his calm demeanor during the practice sessions will be here during the actual event. I know his smile will be, he can't wait for the babies to get here.

Our appointment with Dr. Riley this morning went well except for the fact he wants Jenny on bed rest for most of the time. He wants the babies to get a little bigger, they are about 3 pounds each and the longer Jenny carries then the stronger their lungs will be. I checked with him and if she stays in bed most of Saturday she can be part of the party if she promises to sit in a chair.

I know she is nervous about the Manosos coming, but both Les and I have reassured her that they are wonderful people and will in no way hold her responsible for how things turned out. She is excited to see Julie this afternoon. With the weight of the world on her shoulders we often forget that Jenny is a teenager. As soon as Julie hit the door there were screams, giggles and just smiles all around. Julie looked tired and her face and hands were all swollen, but I knew it was from the steroids she was taking. Rachel and I got the girls settled on Jenny's bed for them to talk and rest.

Everything was set up for Julie's appointment, Bobby was going with Rachel and Ron in the morning. Les and I had an appointment first thing in the morning and then I would be back to help Ella and Jesse get ready for the Manosos. Les was involved in some project he had started. I didn't know what he was doing but I sure wanted to be around and watch him work if he took his shirt off again. I told him that and he just laughed, kissed me, grabbed a couple of bottles of water and ran out.

The next day we got a call from Bobby that Julie's doctor Mary Swanson wanted to keep Julie overnight to run tests. He was staying with Julie and after talking to Rachel, she and Ron were staying also and the two other children would stay with us.

Thursday morning Tank and Hal left for Newark to pick up the Manosos and Santos. I was excited and nervous about meeting Les's Mom and brother and sister. I was very nervous about how the Manoso's would feel when Les and I told them about us being a couple. I shouldn't have been nervous.

They all walked into the kitchen Ella and Maria started talking like they had never been apart. I was hugged and kissed by Mama and Papa and then I felt Les put his arms around me and introduce me to his Mom and his brother and sister. He shook hands with Papa. Mama and Papa hugged us both and said, "We are so happy Steph, Les is a wonderful man and will love you forever. You both deserve to be happy."

The place was filled with laughter, love and music. The pool was epicenter of the outdoor activity. The catering company showed up and Skip and Tank started steaming crabs.

Ben had charmed the Manoso clan and was sitting on Abuela's lap telling her all about cloud messages from heaven. His puppies were playing with Nix and just collapsed in the grass. Tom came in with Hunter and was introduced to everyone. He sat down at the table with Les and I and Les introduced him to his sister Janie and his mother Ginny. Ben walked up looked at Janie and said, "You're pretty, are you married?"

"No, Ben I'm not married and thank you for the compliment."

"Your welcome, I'd call you Beautiful but that name is taken. Have you met my Daddy?" said Ben.

"Yes, I was just introduced to your Daddy."

"Do you like little boys that have 2 puppies?"

"Yes, I like little boys that have 2 puppies."

"Daddy, she's a keeper, she's not married, she likes little boys and puppies."

Tom and Janie sat there stunned and the rest of us broke up laughing. Tom started to apologize and Janie just waved him off. "I'm a first grade teacher Tom this is not the first time I have been interviewed by a 6 year old little boy. It is the first time it was in front of the Daddy though." she laughed. Janie was a female version of Les, golden skin, sun kissed hair and beautiful emerald green eyes and a smile that could light up a room. Tom had noticed.

John, Lester's brother walked up with Brian and sat down at the table with plates full of food. I looked at Ginny Santos and asked what formula she had used to get such handsome sons and beautiful daughter. She laughed and said Lester Sr. was the formula and she often thought he had cloned them. I was looking at Les and saw a momentary expression of pain when his dad was mentioned, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. He started to laugh and said "It's a wonder there weren't a dozen of the Santos kids, he couldn't keep his hands off Mom. We used to yell when we came in the "Kids in the house!"

Ginny blushed and laughed and said "You're just like him Les! You haven't let Steph out of your arms for one minute this afternoon."

Les jumped up and grabbed my hand. "Let's dance beautiful." Les programed into the juke box all slow songs. Hector walked up and tapped Les on the shoulder. Les turned around and looked at Hector and said "Get your own girl Hector. I hardly ever get to spend a moment with my girl."

"Steph, Les, something is wrong with Jenny I think you should come…"


	22. Chapter 22

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 22

JE shares her wonderful characters. Thank you.

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

Hector walked up and tapped Les on the shoulder. Les turned around and looked at Hector and said "Get your own girl Hector I hardly ever get to spend a moment with my girl."

"Steph, Les, something is wrong with Jenny I think you should come…"

Xxxxxxxxxx

We took off at a run and climbed the steps two at a time. Jenny was laying in the bed and tears were coming down her face. I kneeled beside the bed, "Jenny, what's going on?" Les reached for her hand.

"I first thought I was wetting the bed but it isn't that. I'm leaking some fluid…" her face turned red with embarrassment.

"SSShhhh Jenny it's going to be all right, Hector can you go get Tom while I put in a call to Dr. Riley." Les said quietly. He stood up and walked across the room while I grabbed some towels. I sat on the bed and comforted Jenny.

"We love you so much Jenny, everything is going to be fine you'll see." I kept telling her over and over.

Tom walked in the room and shut the door. "What's going on Jenny, are you in pain?" He reached out and put his hand on her abdomen and looked at his watch.

"No, no pain just the wetness."

"Okay, sweetie let's take a look. Steph go grab some of those books, make even piles about 8" each. Steph grab Les' phone, Les, help me lift the bottom of the bed and put a stack of books under each leg. Jenny, I'm going to take away your pillows, I need to have you flat on the bed. Okay sweetie?"

"Tom, here is Dr. Riley." said Steph.

"Jack, the amniotic sac has not ruptured but I would say there is a tear. I've raised the foot of the bed to take the pressure off. She's having light contractions. We can take my chopper, it has medical supplies on it and we can be there in 30 minutes. You call ahead and have the team waiting on the pad."

"Okay Les, I need you to have my chopper brought down on the front lawn. In it is a stretcher, have that brought up here while we get Jenny ready for the flight. I'm going to need a few of your men to help get the stretcher down to the chopper and we have to keep her legs raised above head to eliminate some of the pressure."

"Daddy"

"Hey Ben, you need to stay here with Jesse and Ella. We need to take Jenny to the hospital. Okay Ben, now go down and stay with Ella I love you Ben."

"Steph, help me get these wet clothes off and lets put on a nightgown. Do you have some sheets and a blanket? We will also need some towels." Tom was talking calmly and quietly. His words and actions reassured Jenny and she seemed to be calming down. He took her pulse again and when Les walked in the room with Hector, Tank, Cal and Hal and the stretcher, Jenny was ready to go.

Tank flew the chopper while Tom monitored Jenny and Les and I held her hands and reassured her everything was going to be alright. She was crying so softly and kept saying she was sorry.

"Why are you sorry Jenny, none of this is your fault." said Les.

"Because, when I got pregnant nobody wanted me, they just threw me away and I was scared. I prayed for God to take the baby back to be with him. When I was homeless and eating out of garbage cans I tried to wish the baby away. When Julie found me she was so angry at me. I knew I had ruined everyone's lives…and then I met you Steph…"

"Jenny, not one thing is your fault, you are a wonderful young girl and I am sorry you are going through this. You will always have us as your family, you will never be alone again. These babies are going to have a wonderful life with us. Les and I will give them a wonderful home and all the love we possess. You are going to go back to school. We will all be changed from this experience. Now you have to relax and think of all the wonderful adventures that await you and the wonderful life with the support of all of us. Okay?"

"Tom, where do you want Tank to take the chopper?" asked Les.

"Tank, let me know when we get closer to the hospital and I will show you where to land the chopper after we get Jenny off."

Tank landed the chopper and Dr. Riley had a team waiting for Jenny. Tom jumped out and was updating them on Jenny's condition. Les and I followed the gurney into the hospital.

After two hours of tests and examinations, Dr. Riley and Tom walked in to the room where Jenny, Les and I were waiting, followed by a technician pushing a machine. "We thought we would show you the cause of the problem" said Tom as the technician hooked up the machine and handed the gel and paddle to Dr. Riley.

"By the way have you picked out names?" asked Tom.

"The little boy is Jordan Mateo Santos and the little girl is Emily Grace Santos." said Les.

"Well, Jordan Mateo Santos," said Dr Riley moving the wand over Jenny's belly and pointed to the screen, "decided to use his sister as a trampoline."

We watched as the baby stretched his arms and legs and bounced in his sac.

Dr. Riley then moved the wand down Jenny's belly and there was Emily being pushed in her sac she was moving as much as she could, her eyes were open and she was sucking her thumb."

"Oh my God Les, look how beautiful she is." Without thinking I put my hand on Jenny's belly and said "Jordan, you have to stop that, you have to be careful of Emily." whether it was coincidence or not. Jordan stopped bouncing and stuck his thumb in his mouth." I had tears rolling down my face.

"That's my boy, you listen to your Mommy." laughed Les kissing my tears away.

"Because, of Jordan's bouncing there is a small tear in Emily's sac. What we need to do is have Jenny on complete bed rest with the head of the bed lowered so there is no pressure. Jenny, you can not get out of bed for any reason at all. You will be carefully monitored. We put medicine in your IV and the contractions have stopped. What we need now is time for the babies to get stronger."

"Dr. Riley, if you want to hang me out that window by my heels I will as long as it helps these babies." said Jenny.

Les called the house and they put him on speaker so he could relay all the information. Tank was flying back with Tom and would return in the morning bringing a car for us and whatever items we needed.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Tom, we don't know how to thank you and Dr. Riley ." Les said shaking their hands.

"Les, call me Jack" said Dr. Riley.

"Well, I don't know about Jack but I could used a babysitter for Ben when I ask your sister out, if that is okay with you Les?"

"It's fine by me after all, my sister already passed Ben's interview."

"Interview?" asked Jack.

"Yes, Ben interviewed my sister Janie. She likes little boys with two puppies and he declared her a keeper."

"Jack" said Jim, "She's absolutely, breathtakingly gorgeous she's got this smile….."

Xxxxxxxxxx

When I got back to Jenny's room she was asleep. Beautiful, looked up at me and smiled, "Can you believe these beautiful babies Les?"

"We're going to have our hands full with Jordan, I have so many things I want to teach him and tell him. He needs to know how to take care of his Mommy and his sister just like my Dad showed me."

"Les, are you okay? When you were talking about your Dad before you looked like you were in such pain."

"I had the best Dad, Beautiful. He always supported me and what I wanted to do. He knew I wanted to go in the service and become a SEAL. He told me that no matter what, I had to fulfill that dream. He made me promise him that I would. God, he loved my mother so much. My mom was right. I am just like him - I can't stop touching you and holding you. I'm going to have to teach the kids to yell when they come in the house. My Dad taught me to yell when I was about 5 years old. I would walk in with John and Janie and he would have my Mom pinned to the wall kissing her. He would look at us and laugh and say something like. "Your Mom got dizzy and I was checking to see if she was breathing right."

"I was sixteen when he was killed while he was undercover for the FBI. He left each one of us a letter. In mine he told me to take care of my mom, sister and brother. He told me to do well in school, and be the SEAL I had always dreamed of. I wouldn't be any good to anyone if I didn't attain my dreams. He told me to experience life and look for my soul mate. When I found her I should trust God to make her aware of my love."

"I did one thing he didn't ask me to do. I took all the training I was given and I hunted down the bastards that killed him. Ranger, Tank and Bobby were with me. They will never hurt anyone again. I'm not sorry that I did that. Will that make a difference in how you feel about me?"

"Lester Mateo Santos, nothing in this world would ever change my love for you. Your father would be so proud of the man you have become. I love you Les. Forever."

"I love you Beautiful forever and ever."

"Oh and Les…we need a house of our own and you need to teach the guys to yell- guys in the house."


	23. Chapter 23

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 23

JE owns and shares

Xxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Your father would be so proud of the man you have become. I love you Les. Forever."

"I love you Beautiful forever and ever."

"Oh and Les…we need a house of our own and you need to teach the guys to yell Guys In The House."

Xxxxxxxxxx

After a couple of hours of sitting around Les said he wanted to take a walk.

I should have known not to let him go out on his own. First, two dozen yellow sweetheart roses arranged in a vase with one dozen smiley face mylar balloons were delivered for Jenny. Next delivery was a vase of exotic flowers orchids, birds of paradise, ginger, with ti leaves for me. Next delivery was a game box with decks of cards, Puzzles, Parcheesi, Yahtzee, Monopoly, and 3 Ntiendo DS with 15 games.

Three edible arrangements were delivered to the nurses station for each shift. The last delivery of the day was a bear dressed in a pink tutu and a brown bear dressed in fatigues held by a smiling Lester Santos who was surrounded by candy strippers, aides and nurses. He looked like the Pied Piper of the High Risk floor. He walked over to Jenny and gave her the bears and then he turned to me, enfolded me in his arms, and kissed me till I forgot where we were. He ended the kiss and there was chorus of sighs and ooohhs by the departing personnel.

"Did you like your flowers Beautiful?"

"Les, I thought you were going for a walk not going shopping."

"Well, they have great boutiques here and look what else I got you. A delivery of chocolate covered strawberries and a Mochachino. Hey, Jenny want to play a game of Yahtzee?"

Tank came back with Hector and a SUV for us. Ella had packed bags for all of us. She also had a schedule with volunteers to spend time with Jenny.

Julie was being discharged from Hopkins after all her tests were done. She would go back to our home and wait for her next appointment where all the tests were going to be evaluated.

Bobby called Les and asked him if it would be alright for the Manosos to stay for an extra couple of days. Les asked me and I took the phone.

"Bobby, off course it is alright. I want to know why you are asking."

"Steph, it's because depending on the test results we may have to do cross matching with all the Manosos. Since, they are all here already it would make it simpler if it needs to be done. How is Jenny?"

"Jordan is using Emily as a trampoline so there is a small tear in Emily's sac. Jenny has to stay on complete bed rest with her feet elevated over her head. They gave Jenny medicine to stop the contractions."

"What are you and Lester doing?"

"Lester went shopping. He discovered on his walk the boutiques and gourmet coffee shops. How are Rachel and Ron holding up."

"As well as can be expected under the circumstances. All the waiting around is hard. Once they get back to the shore with everyone it will be much better."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Jenny wanted us to go home. She thought it was silly for us to just be sitting around when there was so much company at the house to be tended to.

We decided to take a walk while she was going to take a nap.

"Les, should we get some security for Jenny?"

"Do you mean in regards to Ric."

"Yes."

"No Steph I don't think it is necessary. I don't think Ric has given Jenny one thought since she signed the paper releasing him from any responsibility. He doesn't know or care where she is. She doesn't exist for him. If you would feel better having security for her we will, but it isn't needed.

"What do you think he will do when he finds out we adopted the twins?"

"First of all we are going to make sure all the i's are dotted and t's are crossed. Hunter has contacted the notary and he has a sworn affidavit from him. He has a copy of every thing else. When we get done with the adoption no one will challenge it. These babies will be our babies and no one will take them from us Beautiful."

"I have an idea why don't you and I go back to the room and log on to the laptop and pick out the furniture for the nursery and have it delivered next week. Dr. Riley had a dvd made of Jordan's little show for you. We can used it as blackmail when he gets older."

"Because, of him jumping on Emily?"

"No, because it shows his little winkie and he is sucking his thumb."

"His little winkie? Did you just call my son's manly endowments a little winkie?"

"Yes"

"Do you call yourself a little winkie?"

"Hell no! I can't wait till you …"

I stopped him from saying anything by throwing my arms around him and kissing him."

We sat down on a park bench and he handed me a jewelry box. I opened it and in it was a gold charm bracelet with to engraved Angel charms. He put it on my wrist and pointed out how much room was left for more charms.

"Just how many babies do you want us to have Mr. Santos?"

"As many as it takes to have a little girl who looks just like you Beautiful."

Xxxxxxxxxx

The problem of who would stay with Jenny during the party on Saturday was solved by Tom. His nurse Joan had volunteered to stay with Jenny. Les and I quickly booked the spa package that the hospital offered for both of them. I never wanted to stay in a hospital again but this hospital knew how to offer services to make it feel like a hotel. Jenny had made the decision to have her long hair cut short. It was long enough to send to Locks of Love.I had to agree it would be easier to take care of while she was bedridden.

On Saturday morning we kissed Jenny goodbye. She was smiling and laughing and thanked us for everything. We left a new laptop with her.

We drove the SUV to Baltimore where Tank was waiting with the chopper.

The backup on the Bay Bridge was 8 miles long.

The tent Tank had ordered was being erected and fans and mini lights were going to be added. He also ordered a dance floor for inside the tent and outside. I couldn't believe he and the guys had put up poles and strung Japanese lanterns down to the dock on the bay.

"What is that barge anchored off the dock Tank?"

"That's the fireworks little girl. They are scheduled for 9 oclock sharp."

"Tank, have you ever considered opening a party planning business!" laughed Les.

"Maybe - this has been a lot of fun."

Julie was released from the hospital. She was tired but really excited about the party. Even though every thing was being catered all the women were in the kitchen fixing things that were 'essential' to a party. I went up to the orchard and laid in the grass looking at the clouds.

"Did your grandma send you any messages today Beautiful?"

"Yes, she did Ben - it's a really important message today. I think it is a message from both your mommy and my grandma and it is for both of us. Look." I said pointing up at the sky. There was the biggest cloud heart in the sky right over us. "I think that they are telling us that they love us and want us to be happy."

"I'm happy are you happy?"

"I'm happier than I have ever been Ben. Les makes me happy"

"I think Janie is going to make me and Daddy happy."

"I think so to Ben."

Xxxxxxxxxx

The party was in full swing. The breeze was coming off the bay, the grills had been fired up. The guys had brought the jet skis around and were giving rides to anyone who wanted them. Les had disappeared again with his brother John. I knew he was up to something I just couldn't figure out what it was.

I was standing in my room when Ella knocked on my door.

"Sweet girl. Louis and I have something for you. We saved your hope chest to give you when you were ready. We think Lester has given you back your hope and now is the right time for you to have the chest with Abuela's quilt.

I've put two more things in the hope chest for you. I made these with Jesse's help - two quilts. One for each baby. Emily's is pink and white and I have embroidered around the binding all the names of the guys. Down here on the patch in the lower right corner is where we will put the date of her birth and her weight. Jordan's quilt is definitely all boy. When all of us were talking about his quilt the guys wanted a little more say. They found some material for it and I incorporated it into the design." In the lower right hand corner was a patch of material that looked like waves. Ella had embroidered SEAL on it and it was ready for Jordan's birthdate and weight. On the border was all of the guys names.

Les had been standing there in the doorway watching me. I ran to him

"I love you Les. I am surrounded by people who I love."

"Are you really ready for this party Beautiful ?"

"Lester Santos" I said taking his hand, "Take me to the party."

We laughed, we ate, we danced and at about 8:30 the candles were lit and the Japanese lanterns were turned on.

Les and I walked up on the dance floor and Les turned and started to talk…

People stopped talking and started listening.

"I love Stephanie Michelle Plum with my whole heart and soul. Eight months ago she made a courageous decision to start her life over. I was fortunate enough that she allowed me to come with her. She allowed all of us to come with her on her new adventure. Her vision was to turn us all into a family and there is no doubt that she has done that."

"A couple of weeks ago we almost lost her, but she took what she had been taught and returned to us a little battered" Les turned and lightly touched my face, "After her surgery she had a 'little' drug reaction." the whole place broke up in laughter. "She told me she loved me and a few other things." more laughter from the guys. "The next day she tried to return to her land of denial. I however had taped our conversations just in case…" he turned on his recorder.

"I love you Lester! I love you. I'm opening my heart. When can we start having babies. I want your green eyed babies…."

"That was one of the inhibitions that got lowered." Les said smiling. "I asked her to marry me and she said yes" the guys started to cheer.

"I asked her what kind of wedding she wanted and she said"

"I want a small wedding with just the family" said Steph.

"So here we are tonight with all of our family….."

a/n Thanks to Quilter Girl for the suggestion of Emily and Jordan's quilts.


	24. Chapter 24

A New Kind of Someday

JE owns and shares and gets rich

I borrow, return and stay poor

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"I asked her to marry me and she said yes" the guys started to cheer.

"I asked her what kind of wedding she wanted and she said…"

"I want a small wedding with just the family" said Steph.

"So here we are tonight with all of our family….."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Steph and I went to Easton earlier in the week and applied for our marriage license and to buy our wedding rings. Imagine our surprise when we were having lunch in St. Michaels when a couple of our friends showed up with a little boy after we specifically told them we wanted a day alone." Manny, Bobby, Hal, Tom and Ben stood up and bowed. "We found out about the trackers they had placed on my new car." everyone laughed.

"The only one who knew our secret was Tank. Who, by the way things turned out, has a new future as the Eastern Shore of Maryland's premier Wedding Planner. I would like to at this time introduce Reverend Carl Webb who will officiate at our wedding tonight. There is no bride or groom's side only family. I'd like to ask Ella and Louis to come up here with Steph and Bobby, Tank and my brother John to come up and join me. Now I will turn over the ceremony to the Reverend Webb."

"Welcome to all the family of Stephanie and Lester. When this young couple came to me and asked me to perform the marriage vows for them I gladly said yes. When we did our counseling and they answered my questions I looked around my office to find the hidden cameras for such a story couldn't possibly be real. They both assured me that indeed everything that they said happened, had in fact happened. From sitting here tonight and listening to the stories being told - the stories they told me had only tipped the iceberg."

"They both asked me if I believed in soul mates. I do indeed believe in soul mates. I think with the struggles and hardships they had both endured, to be in this place and at this time surrounded by all this love and family is testament to the fact that they are soul mates and part of God's plan."

"Listen to the words of Kenneth W. Phifer"

"The institution of marriage was begun that a man and a woman might learn how to love and in loving, know joy; that a man and a woman might learn how to share pain and loneliness and, in sharing, know strength; that a man and a woman might learn how to give and in giving, know communion."

"The institution of marriage was begun that a man and a woman might through their joy, their strength, and their communion, become creators of life itself."

"Marriage is a high and holy state, to be held in honor among all men and women. Marriage is a low and common state, to be built of the stuff of daily life…."

"This is the reason for our gathering today; to renew our faith in the strength of hope and in the power of love."

Lester stepped forward and took both of Stephanie's hands in his..

"I love you Beautiful for who you are and who I am when I am with you. When I met you I knew I had met my soul mate. I longed to love you with my whole heart and soul. I needed you to love me and know me my secrets. I needed to trust you and know that you would not hold those secrets against me."

"I thought I had patience as a military man. It is nothing compared to the lesson of patience I have been taught by God while waiting for you my soul mate."

"When you look at me with those beautiful blue eyes, when you reach to entwine your fingers with mine, when you trust to know that nothing will stop me from coming to save you: you fill me with joy and love. With your love I am complete."

"I love you Les for who you are and who I am when I am with you. You have been my friend and my best friend. You have supported me with your strength of character and your strength. You have supported me in some of my darkest moments and shared the light in some of my most joyous. I loved you as a friend and now I love you with every ounce of my being. You have saved me. You are my love and you are my soul mate."

"I Lester, take thee Stephanie to be my wedded wife, to have and to hold from this day forward for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish according to God's Holy Ordinance. I pledge myself and my faith and love to you forever and ever."

"I Stephanie, take thee Lester to be my wedded husband, to have and to hold from this day forward for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish according to God's Holy Ordinance. I pledge myself and my faith and love to you forever and ever."

" I give you this ring Stephanie as a symbol of my love and faithfulness."

"I give you this ring Lester as a symbol of my love and faithfulness."

"In so much as Lester and Stephanie have pledged their love before God and their family I take great joy in pronouncing them man and wife."

"Lester you may kiss your Bride!"

….and kiss her he did among cheers from their family and the fireworks that started the moment Reverend Webb pronounced them man and wife.

The firework display went on for thirty minutes and for thirty minutes Les held Steph nuzzling her neck whispering words of love. She looked at him and saw no one else but this wonderful man who loved her.

After the fireworks, the party really started. Food, music, laughter and teasing. Bobby and Tank held Lester while Hector, Hunter and all the Merry Men took turns hugging and kissing Steph. Tank announced to the family that Steph had something special planned for Les. Steph asked Les to dance their first dance and the band started to play the music to Trisha Yearwood's song Nightingale except Steph sang the song to Les.

_Yesterday I thought that I walked alone_

_And that love was just a memory_

_But a nightingale followed me back home_

_And my love was waiting there for me._

_I had lost my faith as lovers often do_

_When the storm clouds gathered overhead_

_But the nightingale sang a note so true_

_That I knew I lost my fear instead._

_And to think that I said love was for fools _

_And that time would never heal these old wounds_

_But the nightingale saved a prayer for me_

_In the twilight he played a faithful tune_

_I have heard the lark over in the vale _

_And I've heard the lonesome whippoorwill_

_But the sweetest song is the nightingale _

_And I know I never get my fill_

"_**I love you Les"**_

And six foot six inch Les picked up his Bride and kissed the daylights out of her.

"Will you let that poor girl come up for air Les!" yelled Tank.

Skip who had introduced his friend Jim to Ginny were sitting with Ella, Louis and the Manosos. "She looks radiant Ella, we are so happy for her. She deserves this and all the love that Les has to give her. She will always be the daughter of our hearts."

Around 11:45 Les leaned into Steph and said he had to leave for a few minutes and he would be right back giving her a kiss. Bobby immediately sat in Les' seat and said since her husband had abandoned her he was taking his chair, Manny shoved him with a laugh out of the way. While he was taking care of Bobby Hector jumped into the chair and lifted Steph on his lap.

"Angel, your happiness is shining all over your face. Les is a good man and will love you, I will be by both of your sides now and in the future. You can always count on me."

"I'm glad to hear it Hector." said Les pulling Steph off his lap. He held her hand and led her away from the party. They stopped and talked Vince and Jesse on the way to the house.

Before they got to the house Les led her away in another direction.

"Let's take a walk Beautiful." after about 5 minutes Les put her in his convertible which was hidden in one of the barns he assured her was tracker free. They drove for about ten minutes when Les stopped. He laughed and said he wanted her to wear a blindfold. She laughed.

"Les, am I going to find out now that your into something freaky"

"No beautiful, just into surprises. I'm going to leave the car for a few minutes but I'm right here Okay?"

"Yes"

He came back and opened the door and led me a few feet and up some steps.

He took the blindfold off and I was standing in the middle of a cabin with floor to ceiling windows lit by candlelight. There was a huge canopy bed with filmy curtains and sheets covered with rose petals.

"Les, this is beautiful."

"I built it for you - for us. I know there are going to be times when we need some private time from the guys and maybe in the future the kids. Time to renew ourselves to and in each other. I love you so much. I bought this property from Skip its 5 acres and has been left completely natural. I had a well drilled and I did bring in electricity for the creature comforts. I have put in a top of the line security system."

"Through that door is a small living room with fireplace and a small kitchen. Look behind that door Beautiful."

I opened the door and in it was the most beautiful, indulgent bathroom I have ever seen.

"It has a tankless hot water heater which means we can take showers for hours and never run out of hot water"

I threw my arms around him.

"I've waited for you for almost 5 years, I love you with everything I am. I want you with every ounce of my being but I want you to want me the same way I want you Beautiful."

"I love you Les, I wouldn't have married you if I didn't." I stepped into his arms "Love me Les."

He let out a deep breath and closed his arms around me. He kissed me deeply, then buried his face in my neck. With every small kiss he left a fiery trail. His fingertips grazed my skin whisper soft leaving the same trail of fire. He kissed down my neck and my shoulders he lifted me easily and reverently placed me on the bed. He leaned and placed those fiery small kisses on my eyelids in between his whispered words of love. A breeze picked up and fluttered the curtains in the room filled with candlelight there was lightening in the distance but no thunder.

I reached up and stroked his face and looked into his eyes, those beautiful green eyes, in those eyes I saw love and understanding I also saw a yearning. A yearning to know that all the love he had for me was returned and that not even a doubt existed in my love for him. I reached up and kissed his eyelids too. I trailed kisses down his face, my hands went from the sides of his face and into his hair I pulled him close and whispered my love for him, my hopes and dreams for our future, for our children and I said to him "I will love you forever Les."

The breeze picked up and the filmy curtains whipped at the windows the ties on the curtains on the canopy bed opened. All the restraint that Les had used to this point was released. His lips and hands were everywhere his hands and fingertips caressing me leaving me gasping his name and my love for him.

The breeze became so strong that the candles were extinguished the lightning seemed to be centered over the cabin and when our bodies and souls united there was a lightning strike followed immediately by a clap of thunder that shook the ground around us.

"I will love you forever Les."

"I will love you forever and ever Beautiful - for all time."


	25. Chapter 25

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 25

JE owns and shares -How lucky for us!

_**Previously…**_

The breeze became so strong that the candles were extinguished the lightning seemed to be centered over the cabin and when our bodies and souls united there was a lightning strike followed immediately by a clap of thunder that shook the ground around us.

"I will love you forever Les."

"I will love you forever and ever Beautiful - for all time.

xxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up wrapped in Les's arms warm, comfortable, I couldn't believe last night and how much I loved this man and then I realized this was the morning after and I was scared. I tried to carefully move away from him and not wake him up. I felt his arms tighten around me and he kissed my neck and whispered in my ear.

"Where are you going Beautiful?"

"To the bathroom?"

"Really? I thought you might be trying to run away from me. I thought you might be thinking that this is the morning after that amazing night and you are afraid …Stephanie Michelle Santos, I love you even more this morning than I did last night and I didn't think that was even possible. You never have to be afraid that will change. Now I know why my Dad was smiling all the time and why he couldn't keep his hands off my mother." said Lester laughing.

"Really?"

"Really Beautiful but I think we need to practice more."

An hour and a half later Steph and Les stumbled out of the bathroom.

"Les, when we build our house we have to put that tankless hot water heater in it."

"On the list already…I can't believe after all that time the water was still as hot as when we turned it on. I'm going to have John order two of them for you, one for our bathroom and one for the rest of the house."

"John?"

"My brother, he helped me build the cabin. The construction trailers will be here this week to build the addition on the Bed and Breakfast and to start our house."

"John's in construction?

"Steph, John and I own a construction company. He runs it. He's also a Professionally Licensed Civil Engineer. We've been applying for licenses here in Maryland. Brian has been working with him and with our crew and the guys; the addition will be completed in less than 2 months."

"What about our house?"

"We need to talk about that, when you designed it you were thinking you and the twins. We are going to be adding to that number…"

"Les, you keep talking about more kids, just how many kids are we talking here…."

"As many as it takes for us to have a little girl just like you."

"That could be a lot if you keep sending me little boys that look exactly like you."

"Yeah I know, work, work, work, practice, practice, practice….:

"Les, you're crazy!"

"About you… let's practice a little more."

"We need to get to the hospital to Jenny."

"Beautiful, Ella and Hector have that covered. Ella set up the schedule and Hector is taking the schedule apart and putting his name in every slot. If anything happens Hector will call me on this new phone."

"Why do you have a new phone?"

"It's only while we are on our short and very brief honeymoon. Would you like to see and hear the 106 phone calls from the guys since midnight last night? They are really pissed that I managed to sneak you away, they can't find us and they can't harass us. When I build our house I'm putting a moat around it filled with piranha."

"Les, they are just interested and they care about me….do you hear a helicopter?"

"Sshhh Don't go outside Beautiful. They are looking for us, I have the convertible in an old shed under camouflage. If they find us they will swarm this cabin like locust." fingertips were touching my neck followed by soft kisses. "We need to keep this cabin a secret Beautiful for our relationship and sanity." I'm not willing to share you yet," he was kissing my ear and softly saying "I know it is selfish of me but I've waited so long to love you and have you love me." soft bites were grazing my shoulder and neck as he continued to whisper "In my wildest imagination I never ever thought it would be like this Love."

"Les, why is it every time you start kissing me and rubbing my back and shoulders my clothes disappear?"

"Because, I'm good at distracting and I want to christen every surface in this cabin before we leave."

"Les."

"Yes Baby."

"We've only been here 8 hours and we are half way there."

"I guess I'm falling behind schedule….."

xxxxxxxxxx

"I know we have to leave this morning, but I hate leaving."

"How about if I have arranged something to make it a little easier Beautiful?"

"How could you top off perfect Les - you have given me perfect."

"John, is coming by to pick us up to take us to your next surprise. Lord, Beautiful you have the softest skin."

"When is John going to be here?"

"Later…"

xxxxxxxxxx

"Hey John, you weren't followed were you?"

"No, but the natives are getting restless they have sent teams out to surrounding motels, hotels and Bed and Breakfasts. Hal and Brett have been searching with the helicopter."

"They flew over the cabin yesterday."

"I don't have to ask how you are Les. your smiling like Dad used to. Where is Steph?"

"She's saying goodbye to the Tankless Hot Water Heater. She wants two of them in our house - one for our bathroom and one for the rest of the house." said Lester laughing.

"Have you told her what you've planned?"

"John, it wouldn't be a surprise if I told her."

We pulled up at an airfield and John parked his truck. We got out and I was excited. "Les, are you taking me flying? Why aren't we using our plane or Brett's? Are you going to let me fly the plane?"

John just started laughing and Les grinned from ear to ear. "First beautiful you need a lesson."

"Okay" I looked up at the sign and it said "Gonzo's Sky Diving School" I stopped dead in my tracks staring at the sign. "Les, you said we were flying."

"No, Beautiful you asked if I was taking you flying - you assumed it was in a plane and it is for part of the time. Then you and I will be harnessed together and we will jump out of the plane."

I just glared at him. "You…You…You deceived me!"

"No, I didn't - I told you it was a surprise - you jumped to the wrong conclusion but, you will love it I promise. Trust me, isn't this what you have always wanted to do?"

"Yes, but…"

"No buts beautiful you will love it and…" I leaned in and whispered "we just had our first little fight and you know what that means tonight we will have makeup sex."

"Really?"

"Want to find out if makeup sex is as good as they say Beautiful?" I looked down at her and she looked up and grinned at me.

"Let's get that lesson!" yelled Steph

John was laughing so hard he had tears rolling down his face. "You learned a lot from Dad. I remember when Mom would get mad at him and he would lean in and whisper, she'd get the same smile. Was it the promise of makeup sex?"

"Get your own girl John or make Mom happy and get your own wife."

"Les, honest to God I want to find one - I just haven't found one yet."

"You will when you least expect it and it will be like nothing you have ever felt in your life."

Steph loved the lesson, we were up in the plane and John was going to jump too. We got over the target area and I snapped the harness to Steph and wrapped my arms around her. "Ready Beautiful?"

"I'm ready Les, Where are we landing?"

"It's a surprise, but you will love it!"

"Let's go!" I screamed like the girl I was we were hurtling fast and Les told me to form the x to slow us down. When he pulled the chute I looked around and started to laugh.

xxxxxxxxxxx

Everyone was sitting around the pool. The guys were plotting more "missions" to find Steph. They couldn't believe that Les had outfoxed all of them and freely admitted if they ever needed a leader again it would be Lester.

Ben was running around waving and yelling "Hi Beautiful! Hi Beautiful!"

Nix and Trouble were running around in circles barking and Job just stood there and barked.

"Hi Beautiful, Hi Les! Hi John"

"Ben, Buddy why are you yelling Hi Beautiful and waving?" asked Tank.

"Because, Beautiful is tied to Les and they just jumped out of that plane!"

xxxxxxxxxx

I wish you all a Happy Holiday. I'm going to spend the holidays with my children and grandchildren. I will update next week.

Peace and Joy and Love to all of you and your families.

Susan


	26. Chapter 26

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 26

JE owns and shares, I borrow and return

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously**_

"Hi Beautiful, Hi Les! Hi John"

"Ben, Buddy why are you yelling Hi Beautiful and waving?" asked Tank.

"Because, Beautiful is tied to Les and they just jumped out of that plane!"

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Will, you look at that! Les is showing Steph how to fly!" Yelled Tank.

All the guys looked up and started to laugh and wave! Ella and Louis smiled at each other and listened to Steph scream and laugh. "Listen to our sweet girl Louis, that is the sound of pure joy!"

Lester, landed them on both their feet and unhooked the harness. Steph turned and jumped into his arms kissing him, crying and laughing all at the same time. I love you, you gave me the way to fly in your arms! You are making all my dreams come true!"

"All this and make up sex too? If I didn't know that in 60 seconds the mass of your Merry Men would be arriving to rip you out of my arms I'd pull the chute over us…."

"and what Les?" a smiling and laughing Steph looked up at him.

Les leaned in and whispered in her ear and her face and neck turned red.

"Really? John don't let the guys up in the orchard hold them off with whatever means possible I want….."

"Too late Steph! You and Les are in for it now."

The first to reach them was Cal and Hal who indeed ripped Steph from Lester's arms. Cal put her over his shoulder and ran back toward the house.

Hal, Manny, Brett, Zero, Binkie and Tank surrounded Les.

"Where have you been? What if you needed us-ah hell, what if Steph needed us! What if she changed her mind and didn't want your sorry ass after all." yelled Manny.

"What if she realized her mistake and wanted one of us!" laughed Hal.

"Yeah - you and all the others wish she wanted one of you!" laughed Les.

"We need to know where she is at all times - Where Were You!" barked Tank.

"On our very short honeymoon and we sure didn't need you guys to chaperone. As for where we were - only a need to know basis and you all certainly don't need to know you assholes. Nice try though leaving 160 voicemails between midnight on our wedding night till this morning. Like we were going to answer the phone."

"What if it was about Jenny. What then!" yelled Vince.

"I had that taken care of. Remember this Vince paybacks are hell! Now back off you sneaky bastards I haven't kissed my wife for 5 minutes. Come on John."

Les took off at a run with the guys running with him laughing and poking fun at him.

He spotted Steph and she was kneeling down talking to Ben. It appeared to be a serious discussion concerning Ben's right hand. Les slowed his pace and Tank told him it was Ben who spotted them jumping out of the plane.

He also told him Ben had climbed a tree in the orchard and fallen out.

"Is he okay?"

"Yes, Janie got to him first. Tom is at the hospital on an emergency call. That little boy tried so hard to be brave but when she wrapped her arms around him he melted into her and cried his heart out. Bobby looked at him and he's a little scraped up but no broken bones. Looks like he is filling Steph in on his adventure."

"So Bobby put this band aid on here Beautiful it was really bleeding. He said I was lucky I could have broken my arm. I have really strong bones!"

"Of course you have strong bones, but you need to be careful because we don't want you to get hurt Handsome. Show me which tree you wanted to climb. Wow, that's a tall tree, what made you choose that tree?"

"Beautiful, I can sit in the branch and watch for messages from my Mom and your Grandma." He then leaned in and whispered into Steph's ear "Then the ants can't get in my clothes. When I took my bath last night I had ants in my clothes. It was bare assing."

"You mean embarrassing?"

"Yes it was bare assing."

"Well, here is just the men who can do something to help. Les, do you think that you and John can build Ben a tree house with a little platform that he can lay on and watch for his Mom's cloud messages?"

"Sure we can Ben. You'll have to help us design it."

"I need a platform so the ants can't get in my clothes. It was bare assing"

I watched Les bite his lips and turn to John his shoulders shaking. "Well you can count on us Ben us guys have to stick together. Let me see your hand. Wow, you are brave, if this happened to John he'd still be crying and whining."

"Janie said I was braver than either of you. She knows 'cause she's your sister."

I put my arm around Steph's shoulders and drew her into me and kissed her. "It's been 8 minutes since I held you and kissed you Beautiful that's way to long." I lowered my voice and leaned into her ear "It was bare assing?" She whispered back "embarrassing to have ants in his clothes."

By this time we had reached the house and we were hugged and kissed by Ella and Les's Mom and the Manoso's.

"That was quite an entrance Les." said Ginny Santos.

"Steph has always wanted to fly, I wanted to make a dream of hers come true. John came along so he could record the moment."

Steph was on the phone with Jenny "He did what? You're kidding me….no we will be there this afternoon. We can pick one up if you want us to but in the mean time go to google and look it up. Put him on the phone Jenny. Hector, if you're going to speak Spanish to her she has a right to know what you are saying. I'll get Jenny and myself a tutor and learn how to speak it. Stop laughing we can learn if we want to. In the meantime, stop intimidating that poor nurse. I'm sure she didn't mean to make Jenny cry. If you don't watch out they will ban you from staying with Jenny."

"Les, we'd better get to the hospital, one of the nurses made Jenny cry and Hector threatened to throw her out the window. She called security but Dr. Riley stuck up for Hector. Jenny said he has been muttering in Spanish for an hour."

"What did the nurse do to make Jenny cry? She's not supposed to be upset."

"Les, she told Jenny she didn't have any more strawberries."

"Oh…"

"Do you think that warrants Hector threatening to throw a nurse out the window?" laughed Steph. "Ella do we have any strawberries to take Jenny? I'm going up to change I'll be down in a minute."

"I'll go change too" said Les.

"Make that an hour Ella if Les goes up to change with Steph." said John "He's promised….Ouch!"

"Leave your brother alone."

One hour later Les and Steph came down the stairs holding hands and smiling.

Xxxxxxxxxx

We got to the hospital and when we reached Jenny's room we could hear her and Hector laughing. Hector was telling her if she ever told anyone he had done this he would deny it. She laughed and said that no one could possibly know and she wouldn't tell a soul. We walked in the room and stood there for a moment and Les whipped out his phone and took pictures. Hector looked up and groaned and Jenny laughed harder.

There before our eyes was Jenny, laying in her hospital bed with her head hanging over the edge and Hector was in a straight chair with bucket between his legs and a pitcher of water on Jenny's bedside table and Hector was washing Jenny's hair.

"My reputation is ruined. Please don't tell Jesse and all the guys. I will never live this down. Give me that damn phone Les!" yelled Hector, followed by a string of Spanish that only made Les laugh louder.

Jenny yelled, "Did you bring the Spanish Dictionary Steph! Look it up!"

"He's threatening my ability to father children in the future Beautiful!"

"Hector, I'll get Les to erase the pictures I promise, right after I look at them." This seemed to mollify Hector. He knows I would never lie besides it was really sweet.

"Jenny, you could have waited or called and made an appointment to have your hair done."

"I know I could have, but Hector lost the bet."

"What bet Hector?" asked Les

"That I knew more swear words than he did in English." said Jenny.

"You do?" said Les.

"Yes I do! I spent one whole summer being a candy striper at a veterans hospital and can they swear. Since I was sheltered by my parents I wrote down every word the men said and looked it up on line and committed it to memory."

"You should hear the words that came out of her mouth…I should have washed her mouth out with soap." grinned Hector

"Ooooh Jenny tell me some of the words you know!"

"NO" yelled Les and Hector at the same time. We all looked at each other and started laughing.

"Uh oh"

"Jenny what's the matter?"

"I think my water broke. Oh, Steph! It's to early!"


	27. Chapter 27

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 27

JE Owns and Shares, I Borrow and Return L

Xxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Jenny what's the matter?"

"I think my water broke. Oh, Steph! It's to early!

Xxxxxxxxxx

"It's going to be okay, Jenny I'll just push the call button and have the nurse come in and check you out. Just relax!" said Steph in a calm voice.

"Hector, can you hand me another towel to wrap around Jenny's hair. Les, can you place a call to Dr. Riley please."

The nurse came in and asked Hector and Les to step outside for a moment. She lifted the sheets and it was apparent that Jenny's water had broken. "Okay sweetie, are you having contractions?"

"I don't know what contractions feel like, I've had a couple of twinges and my back hurts."

While Jenny was explaining, the nurse was hooking up fetal monitors and taking Jenny's blood pressure. "Did your scary boyfriend wash you hair for you?"

"He's not my boyfriend, he's my best friend. I'm sorry he threatened to throw you out the window this morning. He gets upset when I'm upset and he lost a bet that's why he washed my hair. Oh my God - he's acting like my boyfriend! I want him to be my boyfriend. Steph, I want Hector to be my boyfriend and my best friend. What am I going to do?"

"It's okay Jenny. Lester and I were friends and best friends before we got married. Just enjoy the friendship you and Hector have right now. You need to relax. Think of the swimming lessons that Hal, Cal and Lester gave you. Think about floating in that velvety water looking at the clouds."

"Is she bare assed too?" laughed Les when he came in the room.

"Bare assed Les?"

"Ben fell out of a tree this morning - yes he is okay - he was in the tree looking at cloud messages because if he lays on the ground ants get in his clothes and he gets bare assed."

Jenny and Hector started laughing as did who had walked in.

"If I had ants in my clothes I be embarrassed too. Now what's going on Jenny girl?"

"Apparently, my water broke."

"Jenny, you are having contractions and we are going to try to stop them by putting some medicine in your IV. If we can't stop them, you are going to be having these babies. I'm going to let Hector stay in here with Les and Steph for now. Hector, you can't threaten anyone else today or you are going home - got it?"

"Yes sir!"

This is going to take awhile so Jenny if it possible I want you to relax and try to nap to save your strength. Les, Steph can I see you outside please?"

"What's going on Jack?"

"She is in the early stages of labor, I will try to stop it but I think we are going to be delivering these babies today. I'm letting Hector stay because he seems to have a calming effect on Jenny even though he scares some of the nurses. Jenny's blood pressure is elevated and we are monitoring it. If it gets to high I want to do a C-section. I don't want to take any risks with Jenny or the babies. It may be a quick decision but I wanted you to know in advance. Do you have any questions?"

"How are the babies' lungs?" asked Les.

"I've called in two of the best neonatologist specialists to be on call for the delivery. There will be a team of 10 for each baby in the delivery room. The babies will be evaluated and administered whatever they need and then taken to the NICU asap. You can be with Jenny during the C section if that is the direction we have to take. From the last sonogram Baby Boy Santos is looking good. Baby Girl Santos is smaller, but statistically speaking girl preemies generally are strong and do well. I'm sure you will have more questions, right now I want to go back in and inform Jenny of the C section possibility.

"Jenny, I think it is a distinct possibility that you are going to have these babies today. Your blood pressure is high and we are going to monitor it. If the babies or you appear to be in distress we are going to do a C section. Les and Steph will be with you the whole time. Now I want you to understand that this isn't like years ago once a C section always a C section when you have other pregnancies they will be evaluated and it may be possible to have a vaginal delivery. Any questions?"

"You think I'm going to have a C section don't you?"

"Yes, I do but I'm not ruling a vaginal delivery yet."

"I went on line and read about them. If it is the best thing for the babies don't hesitate to do it and if it ever comes to a decision of the babies or me you save these babies. Promise me Dr. Riley!"

"It won't come to that Jenny. Don't worry sweetie, I'm good at what I do. Besides I can't let Hector get mad at me - he'll throw me out the window right?"

"Can I talk to a priest?"

"I'll have the nursing staff call. Anything else?"

"One of my relaxation things is picturing floating in water looking at the clouds - will I be wearing a bikini after the C section or a one piece?"

"If there is time I will do a bikini incision if we are in a hurry it will be a vertical one from your belly button down. But either way you will look good in a bikini. You can stop glowering Hector I'll do the very best I can."

"I have some calls to make and I will be back in a little while to see where we are at that point."

"I want you all to know this…whenever I have thought of the babies I have never thought of them as mine. They have always been yours Steph and it was apparent to me that Les was going to be the daddy. I love you both and I am so grateful to be included in your family. I wish I could have been at the wedding, did you know that Hal took a video and sent it to me? Do you want to watch it? I'm sorry you didn't get more of a honeymoon."

"Well it's a good thing that Hector and I got new phones - the guys placed 160 calls to my other cell in the 36 hours we were away." laughed Les

"Frigging Babies" muttered Hector.

"Want me to give you a better swear word to use Hector?" said Jenny.

"Oh, Hector you are going to have your hands full with this girl - get ready you're going to love life it's not going to be dull!" grinned Les.

"Angel, did you wish this on me - did you clone trouble for me?"

xxxxxxxxxx

"Oh that hurts." groaned Jenny.

"That's our girl …just relax and breath through it. We are right here with you Jenny. Relax..think of the blue sky and the big fluffy clouds. There you go take a cleansing breath." coached Les.

The priest came and Jenny talked to him. She asked us if it were allowed could he be in the delivery room in case he was needed. Of course we said yes. The hours passed slowly. Les, Hector and I made the calls to home to keep everyone up to date on Jenny's progress. Bobby came to the hospital to be there in case we needed him. We thought it possible that Hector would pass out so we forced him from the room so Bobby could calm him down. Jenny was getting tired. Les and I were getting worried. I could see it in Lester's face. He was calm and telling jokes and making Jenny laugh, but he was worried.

Jack was in and out, he had delivered two babies this afternoon. When he came in this time he had two other doctors with him. They went over the readings from the fetal monitors and Jenny's monitors. Jack turned to us and said, We are going to prep her for surgery and do the C section. We have to move fast the babies are starting to show stress and Jenny's blood pressure is rising. The nurse will take you and get you ready. We will see you in the operating room. We kissed Jenny and ran out of the room behind the nurse.

"Les…"

"It's going to be alright Beautiful. Jenny's going to be fine and we are going to get to see our son and daughter soon. Just relax and enjoy this moment. Stephanie Santos, I love you and we are going to have a wonderful life and family together."

"Les, I love you. Forever."

"Beautiful, I will love you forever and ever, through all of time."

We were shown into the operating room and were surprised to see Tom waiting for us. "Thought I'd stop by for the Birth days and to answer any questions you have. They will be bringing in Jenny any minute. There are two teams one for each baby. Father Joe will here any minute per Jenny's request. I talked to Jack and he is probably going to make the vertical incision. It's faster and I promise if she heals badly I will fix it. Bobby has Hector on a tight leash and reinforcements are coming. Bobby has a sedative in a syringe all prepared if it's needed for Hector. Ben sends his love and he and your brother are working on plans for the tree house. I'm supposed to tell you that Louis is painting the nursery and Ella, Ginny and Maria Manoso are driving him nuts about the color, but he is sticking to the color you picked. I think that's Jenny coming now. The anesthesiologist has already given her the spinal. You can stay up here by her head and talk to her. They are going to drape her so she can't see what is happening."

"Hey Jenny! Look Tom came for the Birth Days." Les said to Jenny "Steph and I are right here for you."

"Where's Hector?"

Tom leaned in a said, "Bobby's got him and a sedative in his pocket."

She laughed. "Steph, he told me he loved me. He told me he would wait till I grew up and went to college. I told him after this year I had already grown up and I loved him too. He still wants me to go to college. I told him I would think about it. I kissed him back Steph. He's such a good man, I know he loves you too."

"He loves me like a sister Jenny. He's one of my best friends and he is a wonderful man. Now let's concentrate on you."

Jack walked over to Jenny and told us he was getting ready to start.

Les was talking quietly to Jenny reassuring her that everything was going smoothly and then Jack asked Les if he wanted to cut the cord. Les shook his head yes and Tom showed him where to stand. "Okay Les, here is your son Jordan Mateo Santos" and Les cut the cord and tears pooled in his eyes. They held him up to Les who kissed him and then they held him to me and I kissed his little forehead. Then he was whisked away to the team waiting for him. "Here is the beautiful Emily Grace Santos Mommy and Daddy" Les cut her cord and kissed her and then I got to kiss her before they took her away. We could hear Jordan crying. Les held me while we both cried and thanked Jenny over and over. Jack continued to work on Jenny and then Jenny said..."I think I'm going to throw up."

Jack looked at her and said, "In eighteen years I've never had a c section patient throw up during the procedure."

Jenny said "Get ready for your first." and throw up she did.

Tom and the rest of the operating team laughed. One of the other surgeons said, "and to think you were the smug, arrogant guy that made fun of me when one of my c sections patients threw up last week. How does it feel?"

"Hey Mom and Dad…Jordan Mateo weighted in at 3 pounds 1 ounce and is 13" long."

"...tall my son is 13 inches tall - not long." stated Les.

"Okay, then Emily Grace is 2 pounds 7 ounces and is 12 inches tall." a pediatric nurse informed us laughing. "They are on the way to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit NICU now for further evaluation. Things look good . Your son has a set of lungs on him - he is protesting like a 5 pounder. He is very indignant at the moment. Your daughter is doing well also; she isn't having a temper tantrum like her brother."

"That's my boy! He's warning everyone he is here and is a force of nature watch out and stay away from his sister."

"Les, he is 5 minutes old - he is not a force of nature he is angry because we took him from his nice warm home."

"Beautiful, he is a Santos, he is a force of nature."

"Okay say goodbye to Jenny she is going to the ICU for a short time then she will be taken to the recovery room."

"We'll see you in a little while Jenny. We love you."

Tom walked out with us to the 3 story tall atrium. I jumped into Les's arms and cried. Tom told Hector and Bobby, Jenny was fine and the babies were doing well. Tom started to laugh, there in the waiting atrium was our family -wall to wall Merry Men, Hunter, Ella, Louis, Skip, Ginny, John Janie, Ben, Beth, all the Manosos.

We turned to our family. "Jenny is doing well and the babies are just beautiful. They are so tiny and so perfect. Jordan's little thigh is smaller around than Lester's thumb. I don't know why I can't stop crying." I buried my head into Les and bawled. He sat down on the couch, with me in his lap, and whispered how much he loved me and how much he loved our new family.

This was one of the happiest days of my life, yet I felt an unease settle over me. I knew things were about to change again.


	28. Chapter 28

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 28

JE - A Happy New Year wish-listen to your fans and have Ranger and Steph finally become a couple, kick Joe to the curb.

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

This was one of the happiest days of my life, yet I felt the unease settle over me. I knew things were about to change again.

Xxxxxxxxxx

One of the nurses came out into the Atrium and handed Les and I some pictures. She said that Dr. Riley had taken them and thought we all would like to see them. She also told us we could go to the NICU in 20 minutes to visit the babies and talk to the specialists in charge of them, but that we shouldn't worry they were doing beautifully so far.

"Look at my boy! I told you he was taking care of his gorgeous sister." They had Jordan and Emily in the same incubator and they were on their sides with Jordan behind Emily. I tried not to focus on all the tubes and wires. They were so tiny but so perfect. They each had a light covering of dark blond hair, Emily's seemed to be a little curly. We passed the pictures around.

Ben walked over to us and looked at us very seriously.

"I'm not calling her Emily."

"Why not Ben?" asked Les.

"Cause you and I are the only ones to call Beautiful - Beautiful and I'm going to call her Gorgeous will you call her Gorgeous too?" he stuck his little hand out for Les to shake.

"You bet Ben! You and I will call Emily - Gorgeous." said Les shaking Ben's hand.

"I'll have to help Jordan take care of her too."

"That you will Ben." said Les.

Little did we know how prophetic those words would be in the distant future.

Xxxxxxxxxx

We met Jordan and Emily's specialists in the NICU. They explained that in actuality Emily's lungs were stronger than Jordan's, but that they were being carefully monitored. Because, they had been in such close quarters in the womb most multiples were put together in the incubators, it seemed to soothe them. They wanted us to start to Kangaroo Care with them. Neither Les or I understood what they meant. It was explained to us that we were going to start going bare skin to bare skin with them. This worked well for mothers and infants and they had been using it with adoptive mothers and fathers too. The babies would be in a diaper and placed with their bare chest and their ear over the heart of the bare chested parent. This helped the babies transition into sleep and with less crying and gulping of air there was less chance of colic. Preemies suffered from apnea and they thought it would help with this also. Preemies cannot stand a lot of over stimulation.

The lights were very low in the NICU and very quiet, very light touches were encouraged and very soft voices. When we entered the unit there was a special sink and antiseptic soap to wash our hands and up to the elbows with. Each of the nurses in this unit had only two babies to care for. There were special rooms for the parents to stay in to be near. We started our first Kangaroo care session. Les was holding Emily and I had Jordan. I was overwhelmed with the love I had for these babies. I looked at this little boy and whispered to Les, "Our son is 1 foot 1 inch tall Daddy." and he whispered back "Our daughter is indeed Gorgeous Mommy."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Hector was waiting in Jenny's room. He looked at the flowers that had been delivered. There was two dozen roses in a vase from Angel and Les. Mixed bouquets from Ella and Louis and the Manosos, and 1 dozen purple roses with limonium from him. He had learned in the past few days that Jenny's favorite color was purple.

They wheeled Jenny in and she was asleep. He pulled the chair up and reached for her hand and entwined their fingers. He said a prayer and thanked God for her safe delivery and also thanked God for bringing her into his life. He had given up hope many years ago of ever having anyone special. He loved Angel but always knew she would belong to another. He was grateful it was Les.

Jenny was a complete surprise, she was much younger in years but yet she seemed like his other half that he knew had been missing. They were a lot alike, but she made him laugh. He had never laughed much in his life but he had laughed more in the last couple of months than he had ever laughed. She absolutely blew him away when she bet him she knew more swear words than he did and he found out she did and that she knew when and how to use them. He loved washing her hair not that he would admit it.

He had been scared when they were taking her into surgery. He couldn't let her go into the operating room without giving her a kiss. He looked in her eyes and the words just spilled out. "I love you Jenny" and she answered him back "I love you too Hector."

He felt her hand squeeze his and he looked at her.

"You can't take your love back now Hector."

"I will never take my love back Jenny."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Maria and Ricardo Manoso were sitting on the couch in the atrium. They were looking at the pictures of the twins. "They are our grandchildren and we can never claim them as that" cried Maria softly.

"You know Stephanie and Les would never deny us access to them. Look how they have opened up their hearts and home to us." replied Ricardo. "This situation could have been horrible and yet Stephanie kept her heart and love open to us. I marvel at the wonderful woman she is, keeping us close and taking in the girl that Ric betrayed her with. Her and Les adopting those babies and loving them like they were their own, did you hear Les and how he talked about his son being 13 inches tall and making the deal with Ben to call Emily gorgeous. Les is a man with honor and integrity. His father would be so proud of him."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Hunter, Silvio, Rafe and Tank were at Hunter's home office.

"I think she has to know as soon as possible." said Hunter.

"I hate to tell her this and spoil the first couple of days of happiness for them." said Tank rubbing his eyes.

"At least he gave us some warning …he didn't have to do that." said Rafe."He kept his word on backing off. He still loves her. He also told me he is leaving on a mission; he'll be gone for over a year. I need to tell Mama and Papa."

"Damn Lula." said Tank.

"How in the hell did she find out?" asked Silvio.

"She was fired from Plum's Bonds she falsified her resume and references. She got a job filing at my former law office. She heard two of the partners talking and went to him and then to her family."

"I thought you said it was airtight?" said Tank

"It is airtight, Jake made sure of it. Lula's been fired, but can't you see the trouble this will cause…"

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Who knew that little bitch would inherit that kind of money…."


	29. Chapter 29

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 29

JE owns and loans, I borrow

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Who knew that little bitch would inherit that kind of money…."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Steph, something important has come up and you and Les need to come home for awhile to get briefed. Ginny and Janie will come in and stay with the babies."

"Hunter, you are scaring me. Are the babies in danger?"

"No Sweetheart, I don't want to alarm you but your anonymity has been breached and we need to bring you up to date."

"Hunter, what the Hell is going on! Steph is white as a ghost and you've scared her."

"Les, I told her that you both have to come home so we could brief you on a situation. Ginny and Janie will come and stay with the babies."

"No asshole, we are not leaving the hospital and the babies. You bring my mother and sister here and whoever else needs to be in on this. We will meet in Jenny's room or somewhere else to discuss this. Hunter, don't ever order Steph around again or scare her with innuendos. Whatever this is I know it is important or you wouldn't have called, but there is a new way to do things and scaring the shit out of Steph is not one of them."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"He's right, I shouldn't have ordered Steph to come home. They have their priorities right. Okay, we will all go, Hector is already there. I think we should also include Skip. Tank, can you go ask Ginny and Janie to be ready in 15 minutes."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Okay Beautiful, they are coming here and bringing Mom and Janie to stay with Jordan and Emily Now let's go give the babies some kisses and tell the nurses who will be in to be with the babies this afternoon."

Xxxxxxxxxx

_Luck is with me. The Plums are greedy and stupid. I'm greedy but I am smart. This will be the easiest money I ever earned or swindled._

Xxxxxxxxxx

Steph and Les walked into Jenny's room and found Hector and Jenny in a stare down.

"What's going on?" asked Les glancing from Hector to Jenny.

"I was told I could walk around the corridor 2 to 3 times, and my whatever he wants to call himself, at this moment, made me come back and get into bed after 2 - I could have gone around 1 more time but Nooooo he said I was tired. I'm NOT Tired."

"Do you want to go again Jenny?" said Steph.

"Yes "

"Then let's go, Les can fill in Hector on a phone call we received."

xxxxxxxxxx

"What's up?"

"Steph got a call from Hunter and he ordered her to come home and discuss a situation. He decided to send my Mother and Janie to watch the babies."

"What the hell…"

"Hector, he scared Steph and I didn't care for his attitude so I told him to bring my Mom and Janie with them and we are having a meeting here to discuss the situation. I want you to be in on this meeting. I know it's important but he didn't give us any information except that Steph's anonymity has been compromised."

"That's all Hunter said?"

"That's it and Hector, give Jenny some say in how she feels. She's the one that had the surgery and I'm sure she needs to assert herself. Her life hasn't been hers for 9 months I don't know that if we were her age and went through what she's been through if we would have done as well."

"Les, I love her so much."

"Hector, there is love and there is smothering. Love her and walk by her side let your love for each other grow, I promise you, the love that develops between you two will be beyond anything you could have predicted."

"When did you get wise in the way of love?"

"The day I met Beautiful."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"What's going on Jenny?"

"For almost a year my life hasn't been mine. I just need to make my own decisions."

"Of course you do. How can I help?

"I love Hector, but he needs to back off and let me be me." sobbed Jenny. "I don't know why I'm crying."

"Because, you just had surgery to have 2 babies. Les and I will talk to Hector."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Steph and I met my Mom and Janie in the Atrium and got them their ID badges and took them to the NICU. We all scrubbed in and met with Emily's and Jordan's nurse. When I put Emily in my Mom's arms she cried. Janie was holding Jordan and had a look of wonder on her face. Tom walked into the unit with Jack and Tom looked at Janie with his own look of wonder. I looked at Beautiful and just grinned. Then Tom's look of wonder had turned into a smile that bore the look of Wolf. I didn't like the way he was looking at my sister.

Uh Oh…Lester's grin turned into protective Big Brother. "Come on Les we have to go meet the guys and get an update." I pulled him out of the NICU after kissing Emily and Jordon, knowing I was just delaying the inevitable discussion between Les and Tom.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Okay Hunter what are we dealing with?" asked Steph.

"Lula was fired from the Bonds Office. She falsified her resume and references and applied for a job at my former law office. She was hired and evidently while filing, started snooping and eavesdropping. She heard a conversation between two of my former associates about the inheritance. She went straight to Ranger with the information. While she was there he put trackers on her car and gave her a "advertisement" pen that was a tracker. He told her that things between you were over and he had no longer any interest. She left his office and went straight to your parents. Ranger had the man he had following her, put trackers on your parent's car. Lula stayed for one hour and then left. The next morning your parents left their house and went to a lawyer's office."

"Let me guess - they went straight to The Dick."

"Yes, they were there two hours and they came out smiling." said Hunter.

"I'll just bet they did, they loved him and felt his cheating on me was all my fault." I felt Les put his arm around me.

"Ranger called me this morning and relayed all this information and asked if we wanted his company to keep them under surveillance for you. He is leaving for a mission tonight and will be gone over a year."

"Silvio, do we have the manpower to take this over?"

"Yes."

"Hunter, call Ric and tell him thank you but we will take over from here."

"Silvio, can we bug The Dicks office?"

"Yes Steph." said Silvio grinning.

"Do it and bug the Plum's and the Klaughn's residences too. Trackers on every vehicle."

"One more thing Steph" said Hunter "Lula was fired this morning."

"Is Uncle Jake's will airtight?"

Skip stood up. "I can answer that Steph, Absolutely. Jake made sure that your family would have no claim on any of his money. I have video files to back this up. When you get back to the house I want everyone to sit down and watch them. I think they will find them very interesting.

"I need to clear my head for a few minutes Tank, will you take a walk with me please."

We walked outside into one of the many hospital gardens and we sat on a bench. "Tank, do you want to tell me anything?"

"This is all my fault little girl."

"Tank, why would you think this is your fault."

"I loved Lula so much. When I stayed behind to lay false trails I told her I wanted her to come with me and start a new life. I asked her to marry me. She said yes. I always knew she had a crush on Ranger, but I thought it was just a crush. Apparently, when you left she thought she had a chance with him. She made her move and he played her to get information on you. She of course didn't have any so, he talked her into spying on me. I know how to lay trails and after the 3rd false one I knew I was being followed. I checked out every piece of equipment, car, phone. I couldn't find any trackers. Lula had given me a watch for our engagement and one day it stopped working. I took it to the jewelry store to have a new battery put in it. When the jeweler popped the back off I saw it. She had a tracker in my watch. I went back and confronted her. She admitted everything. She had never loved me, she just used me to be near Ranger, the same as she pretended to be your friend. God Steph I am so sorry. When I left her It never occurred to me she wouldn't give up."

"I loved her Little Girl. I wanted to marry her and hopefully have children. I'll pack my things and leave in the morning."

"What are you talking about? You can't leave me. I need you. What would Les and I do without you. Our babies need you Uncle Tank."

"You still want me to stay with you after what I just told you?"

"Yes! You had nothing to do with Lula's betrayal you are as much if not more a victim of her than I am. Now let's go in and finish strategizing. I'm going to kick some ass this time. I'm not that frightened, inept woman that I used to be."

"No little girl you are not that frightened woman anymore."

We walked back to the hospital and entered the room.

"Gentlemen, here is what I want to do…"


	30. Chapter 30

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 30

JE the genius who created the Plum World

I bow to your genius and humbly borrow

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Gentlemen, here is what I want to do…"

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Les I know I should have talked this over with you first."

"Why?"

"Why? Because, you are my husband, and we should have talked about this."

"Beautiful, do you know what a turn on it was seeing you so confident and taking charge of things. You have always had the brains and intuition, but you lacked the confidence to use them the way God intended. To see you gear up and use all the gifts and especially use them on the people who hurt you the most well, lets just say I wish we were alone at our cabin."

"Would the Sheraton do Les? I booked us a suite there for the entire time the twins are in the hospital. I hate leaving them, but as long as we have someone in the hospital we are going to need to get a decent nights sleep once in a while and sleeping on the hospital sleep chairs isn't restful."

"Sleep? Just sleep?" laughed Les.

"No, not just sleep." I laughed as he pulled me into his arms and started kissing my neck. "I love you Les, with everything that is going on I couldn't bear it if I didn't have you."

"Always and forever Beautiful."

Xxxxxxxxxx

We walked into the NICU and stopped dead in our tracks.

Three doctors were surrounding the twins incubator and their nurse walked over to us and "Don't get excited. We were expecting this and Dr. Payne mentioned it might happen. Emily is jaundiced and the Doctors are deciding the course of treatment. Most of the time the babies are placed under special lights to counteract the jaundice."

"Emily has a very alert Grandmother and Aunt. We have been taking tests but the results hadn't come back when Grandma and Aunt notified the nurses on Emily's change of color. So your little girl is going under the lights. Daddy, your baby girl is going topless!" Laughed Dr. Payne. "She'll have very cool sunglasses."

"How long will this treatment take?" asked Steph.

"Two or three days. The good news is that Emily has gained 2 ounces and her big brother has gained 6 ounces. That is great and they are ahead of schedule. Now I have talked to your mother and sister and they have agreed to spend the night. You need to get some rest and to be outside of the hospital. So go and have a nice dinner and get some rest."

"Mom, We…"

"Stop. You are newlyweds and you need some time for yourselves. Janie and I will spend the night tonight and then we will alternate every other night till the babies go home."

"But what about Janie's teaching job."

"She didn't get to talk to you but her job as a music teacher was cut over the summer so she is free to help her big brother and her new sister with their babies."

"I need to talk to her about Tom."

"Relax Les, Janie has everything under control. Put away your big brother hat and relax. Now go and take that wonderful girl out to dinner, take her dancing and I don't have to give you any more advice because you have your father's look in your eyes." Lester's Mom laughed.

"I love you Mom." Lester gave her a hug. "Thank you."

"Les"

"Yes Mom"

"I don't want to see you till tomorrow afternoon, if anything changes I'll call you. Remember, tomorrow afternoon."

"Les, that was a wonderful dinner, and the dancing was superb…."

"You really liked McDonalds and the radio Beautiful?" wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer.

"Yes, I did, but I really like the relaxation therapy. I'm completely relaxed Mr. Santos. But I don't think McDonalds and the radio is what your mother had in mind - Lord, I'm a cheap date! This is so embarrassing."

"If you play your cards right tomorrow night we could maybe splurge on Taco Bell." running his fingers down her arm followed by his lips.

"Oh, you know how to turn a girl's head all this and a Taco too." giggled Steph.

xxxxxxxxxx

"Hey Gorgeous, catching some rays? Look at these fancy sunglasses. I'm not so sure about the topless part. Your brother is looking a little stressed keeping all the boys away." Emily was under the lights with only her tiny little diaper and these big sunglasses protecting her eyes.

I absolutely loved listening to Les talk to Emily and Jordan. He would tell them something or ask a question then he would pause like they were answering him. He explained football to them. He talked about different teams. He told them no matter what happened he would always be there for them especially if they got in trouble. If I didn't love him before I certainly would now.

Xxxxxxxxxx

We had had a major meeting with the guys at home and they were incensed at what was apparently going to take place with the challenge of the will.

They listened to my plan and helped to fine tune it.

Silvio had arranged for the surveillance of my parents, my sister and her family and of Lula and the Dick. It was providing a lot of information.

We rented a suite of offices in Trenton and that was where the command center was located. Woody, Brett, Binky and Manny went up to Trenton to help with the electronic surveillance and searches. They transmitted the findings back to Maryland where Hector uploaded it into my laptop.

Jenny had been released from the hospital. Emily had gotten over the jaundice and both she and Jordan were gaining weight. Jordan was almost 4 pounds and 15"tall and Emily was now topping the scales at 3 ½ pounds and 13". We couldn't wait to take them home. We booked Hector into the Sheraton, so when Les and I weren't at the hospital we were working with Hector analyzing and plotting and planning.

One night, we were at home and true to his word Skip gathered us all together to show us some videos. I had loved Uncle Jake as a six year old and even though I hadn't really seen him growing up he was never far away.

Grandma had kept him up to date with every activity I was involved in and he and Skip had come to be there in the background. We watched the video of my first dance recital when all the little girls turned right and I turned left and Mary Lou wet her pants on stage sucked her thumb and cried. After the recital Mary Lou's parents hugged and kissed her and my parents berated me for ruining the recital. There was a video of a Halloween party at the community center. Valerie was in a beautiful gown as a princess and I was wearing ripped jeans and a sweatshirt with my cheeks blackened for a beard.

I was smiling and laughing and you could hear my mother telling Valerie how beautiful she was. Someone asked her about my costume and she said I didn't deserve a costume she just had me in old clothes.

When the video started all the guys had been laughing and teasing, as the show went on it got quieter and quieter. I felt Les put his arm around me. I was about twelve years old and was on a girl's softball team. I was a pitcher and had a batting average of 325, We had made it to the State Championship game and were in the bottom of the ninth inning and we were tied 6 - 6. I was at bat when the pitch was high and outside and I stepped into it and swung and connected with the ball. I ran around the bases and the throw was coming into home plate and I decided to do the slide I had been practicing all season. It was a perfect slide except for one thing. I hit a jagged rock and it ripped my uniform and my skin. I had made the scoring run to win the game. My team ran out to home plate and helped me up. My uniform was stained with blood and my Wonder Woman underroos were hanging out of my ripped uniform. They were jumping up and down and screaming I was smiling from ear to ear when my mother's voice could be heard above everyone else's. 'You're a disgrace, you are the biggest embarrassment to your family - you will never play ball again.' She picked up my bat and glove and threw them in the trash can by the backstop and dragged me from the field.

I could feel, even years later, the humiliation of that moment. I never played ball again and I missed it so much and I still did. The video turned off and Les pulled me closer he said "now we know where that scar came from on your leg Beautiful. I'm so sorry you had to go through that."

I tried to laugh it off but it hurt so bad the tears just slid down my cheeks.

I looked up and Skip was standing in front of me holding my baseball glove and bat out to me.

"Jake always wanted to give this back to you, but we knew they would have been taken away. Here you go Stephie, maybe some of the guys will play ball with you."

Tank looked at me and said "I know I speak for all the guys, but have no doubts that Bitch of a mother of yours will pay for every hurt and humiliation she every caused you little girl."


	31. Chapter 31

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 31

_**Previously…**_

Tank looked at me and said "I know I speak for all the guys, but have no doubts that Bitch of a mother of yours will pay for every hurt and humiliation she every caused you little girl."

Xxxxxxxxxx

A month had passed and today was the day! The babies were coming home.

Jordan weighed almost 4 ½ pounds and was 18" and Emily weighed 4 pounds and was 16" they had no breathing problems and were the picture of health. They still slept together because if you put them in separate cribs they screamed, once Jordan was placed on his side behind Emily they both settled down. Les had bought a new SUV and had taken it up to New Jersey to have Al fit it with more safety devices and more gizmos that I couldn't even begin to understand. Hector had installed an onboard computer. Les went down with one of the nurses to check the car seats per hospital regulations. I was dressing the babies for their trip home. My hands were shaking.

Tank was at the nurse's station flirting with June. He was down to the wire in asking her to go out with him. We'd watched him flirt for 4 weeks and finally Les took him aside and told him to either ask her out or forget her. There's another guy whose been hanging around the nurses station and it wasn't going to be his decision much longer as the other guy was moving in. We knew Tank was shy, but he was making his move this morning.

Ella and Ginny had found an online store that had preemie baby clothes and they had gone nuts. Emily had more dresses and shoes than I had and Jordan could be fully clothed in any NFL team paraphernalia there was to be had. Today he was going home in Raven colors; after all we lived in Maryland now.

Les was back up with the nurse. We were almost set to go except that Les had taken Emily's little shoe and sock off and was kissing her toes. He was telling her all about the 3 little piggys. She was staring at him and so was Jordan which of course made him take off one of Jordan's shoes and socks.

"Les, we need to get going."

"In a few minutes, I think Tank has circled the runway about 80 times and he is finally coming in to land and ask June out…"laughed Les. "I can't believe him…"

Tank appeared in the doorway and the smile went from ear to ear. "We're going out Friday night."

Janet walked in with the babies discharge papers. "It's about time you asked her out. June's been waiting for you to ask her out for 3 ½ weeks." Tank looked stunned and Les and I laughed at him.

Les put the babies' socks and shoes on and I carried Jordan and he picked up Emily Tank picked up the diaper bag and we started out to the car. It took us an hour to say goodbye to everyone who came to the atrium to see us off.

Hector was waiting in the SUV. While we strapped the babies into the car seats Les was teasing Tank about June waiting for over 3 weeks. Tank looked up, laughed and told him that good things come to those who wait and that three and half weeks was nothing compared to almost 5 years.

Les looked down at the babies and at me and said, "Now I have it all Tank."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Julie was back with Rachel for more tests at Johns Hopkins. She was absolutely thrilled to meet Emily and Jordan. Both the babies had Jenny's dark blond curly hair with her hazel eyes but you could definitely tell they were Julie's siblings. They were beautiful and so precious.

The house was ready for the twins. The guys were ready for their niece and nephew. Ella, Ginny and yes Maria Manoso were ready to take on the role of Grandmothers. Luis, Ricardo and Skip were ready to be Grandfathers.

I was ready to be a Mommy. Les was ready to be the most loving, indulgent Daddy that ever existed.

They say it takes a village to raise a child. We were a village. It was going to take the whole village to hold back dedicated Daddy to even have a chance to hold one of the twins. Les had perfected holding both of them at once, playing with them, feeding them their bottles, he didn't even mind the poopy diapers. He rocked them, told them stories and discussed world events with them while watching the news. He could do all this while letting me know 24/7 how much he loved me. While they slept he worked tirelessly with me, Hunter, Uncle Jake's lawyer Mr. Briscoe and the team preparing for the challenge of the will.

Dickie the Ass had filed the challenge in New Jersey. When brought before the probate court the case was thrown out because it belonged in the Maryland court system since that is where the Last Will and Testament had been filed. The smiling, puffed up Plums, the Klaughns, and Lula who was now engaged to the Dick and his personal assistant had entered the courtroom cocky and confident. They exited subdued and disgruntled.

I had decided to not attend and to let the lawyers take over. It was a very good decision on my part. I needed to be home with Les and the babies and most importantly because Julie was getting sicker.

The lawsuit was put on hold while Dickie the Ass and now co counsel the Clown decided on the next step. We knew of course that Maryland does not extend reciprocity to members of the bar of other states. If they wanted to pursue the suit they would have to take the bar exam for Maryland. I knew, having been married to the Dick, at the time, that he had paid someone in New Jersey to take the bar exam for him - I even knew who that was. The guys had already located him and Hunter had already taken a deposition from him. There was no way the Clown would be able to pass.

They decided to contact a lawyer in Maryland to take on the case and they would act in the capacity of investigators.

The lawsuit was filed on the grounds that I, Stephanie Plum had exerted undue influence on the deceased. Apparently, the lawyer that Dickie the Ass and the Clown had joined forces with was just as 'bright' as they were.

The date was set for the hearing.

Dickhead had contacted banks and opened lines of credit for himself and the Plums and the Klaughns. In return they had signed over 30 percent of whatever the estate was worth to Mr. Dickie Orr.. Counting their money before they had it, the Plums and the Klaughns had gone on a wild ride of spending. My father purchased a Corvette, it was American made, my mother was riding around in a Cadillac, Valerie had a Cadillac Escalade, and the Clown was riding around in a Mercedes.

My mother and Valerie had gone shopping in New York City charging $55,000 in clothes and furs and $50,000 in jewelry. They had fallen behind on their mortgages and the houses where in foreclosure. They planned on moving to Maryland to the Bed and Breakfast temporarily so they didn't care about the current houses in anticipation of the mansions they were going to buy.

Blue Skye Enterprises had bought up the houses in the Burg; making offers that the homeowners couldn't refuse. Brian, who was a licensed architect in New Jersey, had developed plans for the Blue Sky Recreational Park. Lester and John's Construction Company were building the complex. There were baseball fields, soccer and hockey fields, tennis courts and basketball courts and a football stadium. There was an ice skating facility and an auditorium and an indoor and outdoor pool. There was an educational facility. Twenty Million Dollars was endowed to the running of the facility. The Mayor and the City of Trenton were basking in the glory of this facility and all the economic growth that it meant for Trenton in revenue.

I loved the fact that with the help of the guys and Les, the Burg and its grapevine, were being permanently dismantled and would no longer hurt anyone ever again.


	32. Chapter 32

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 32

JE is a genius I stand in awe

a/n I want to thank everyone for their patience. My new laptop had 'issues' and had to be reset to factory. I fortunately had saved all of the completed chapters to a flash drive but I lost all the chapters I was currently working on to upload. So I have been busy rewriting both A New Kind of Someday and Lester's Notes. Thanks again. Susan

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

Blue Skye Enterprises had bought up the houses in the Burg making offers that the homeowners couldn't refuse. Brian, who was a licensed architect in New Jersey, had developed plans for the Blue Sky Recreational Park. ….I was loving the fact that the Burg and its grapevine were being permanently dismantled.

Xxxxxxxxxx

I heard Les and Ben laugh and then I heard, "Beautiful, come in here and see this."

I walked into the living room and on the floor on a baby blanket was Jordan and Emily and laying next to them was Les and Ben being supervised by Trouble, Nix and Job.

"Watch this" Les lifted up Jordan's shirt and blew raspberries on his little tummy and Jordan smiled.

"Watch this Beautiful" said Ben and he lifted up Emily's little dress and Les blew raspberries on her tummy. She started smiling and she let out a sound that sounded like a giggle.

"Did she just giggle?" I said laying down on the floor with them.

"Yes and I asked Hector to bring his video camera to get this down for us."

Pretty soon the room was crowded with the proud uncles and lots of laughter. There was all kinds of strategizing on how to protect our beautiful little girl from boyfriends.

"She's not having any boyfriends! She's my girl." yelled Ben.

We all turned and looked at Ben and Les reached out and put his hand on his little shoulder, "You realize Ben that when she gets bigger she may not agree with you and she will want boyfriends."

"Then I'll wait for her to grow up and Jordan and I will scare off the boys."

"Sounds like a plan Ben." said Les.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"I think the babies and their Mommy need a nap." said Les grinning.

"Does that nap include Daddy."

"Oh yeah I think it does." said Les kissing my neck and shoulder.

"Who is going to distract the guys while we have this nap?"

We put the babies in the crib in their room and turned on the monitor and walked into our bedroom. Les picked me up and put me on the bed and was kissing me senseless when our cell phones started ringing. We looked at them and turned them off. Then came a tapping at our door. We ignored it. Pebbles hit the window. Les turned his phone on and dialed a number.

"Knock on that door, or throw pebbles at the window and wake up these babies and I will come out and shoot all of you."

I could hear laughing on the other end of the phone.

Les picked up his phone again and dialed a number. "John, hire a third crew for our house and make the moat 3 x the size we first said. The idiots are back and I'm going to shoot them. Yes, we do need that….you'll make the arrangements…Great."

"Do I want to know what you and John are cooking up?"

"No Beautiful now where were we?"

Xxxxxxxxxx

_Things had gotten out of control. How could I have miscalculated how Stephanie would take our challenge of the will. I thought she would just hand over money to shut us up. The Plums actually believed that the court system would throw the Will out and they would inherit everything. Instead, she went about hiring a full team of lawyers and taking the case to court. She had certainly changed from the mousy little pushover I married to a confident bitch. By God, she was even dismantling the Burg. _

_I was working with total incompetents, the clients from Hell, and now somehow I was saddled with Lula as my fiancée. I think Klaughn got his Law degree from a magazine, Helen Plum was a whiny conniving bitch and the daughter of Satan Valerie castrated every male around her. Frank Plum existed only for his Corvette. Lula, I can't even contemplate how I got engaged. I woke up with a hangover in her bed and the ring was on her finger. _

_I wonder if I could take the pictures I have of Stephanie on our honeymoon that she didn't know about and blackmail her…I thought she was hot then but now…I know she would never want anyone to see these pictures…I wonder how much she will pay for them…._

_Xxxxxxxxxx_

The babies had just pulled a 3 hour scream-a-thon. They started at 10 pm and had gone straight thru to 1 am with out stopping. We had changed, fed and rocked them. Les had the patience of a saint and I was wanting to join the twins and start crying myself. He gathered us all up and took us downstairs, turned the lights down low and put slow music on the jukebox. I held Emily, and he held Jordan and me in his arms and then he started slow dancing with us. The babies seemed to calm down and as a result I did too. I love this man.

Xxxxxxxxxx

A manila envelope was sent to Hunter's office for me marked personal and confidential and Hunter's assistant had put it on my desk in my small office.

Les and I left the babies under the watchful eyes of Ella and Ginny to meet with the team of lawyers about the court case. Les sat in my desk chair and I sat on his lap and started opening my mail. I opened the manila envelope and the pictures fell out. I looked at them and ran to the bathroom to throw up. When I got myself under control I returned to my office and found Les staring at the pictures. He was rigid with anger. I stood in the doorway and tears just rolled down my cheeks. Les thought I had cheated on him I couldn't believe that I was going to lose him. He looked up at me for a moment and then he said, "We got him now, the little dickhead, that little sleaze ball. He wants 2 million dollars for these pictures."

"You don't believe that I cheated?"

"Beautiful, I would never believe you cheated on me. We love each other to much. If I did believe that you had cheated, all you would have to do is point out this is the dickhead himself in these pictures and look in that corner to see the date. He probably had a hidden camera and isn't this the day after you two were married? Incompetent jerk didn't even get rid of the date."

"Oh my God it is! Look how much longer my hair is."

"My first instinct is to torture and kill the little dick but on second thought dragging his ass through the court system and having him tried for fraud and extortion is really looking good especially when the word is passed in jail he likes to be a back door buddy. Okay, lets get Hunter in here and we'll proceed with how to get blackmailing charges filed against that bastard."


	33. Chapter 33

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 33

JE owns and makes oodles

I borrow and make nada

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"My first instinct is to torture and kill the little dick but on second thought dragging his ass through the court system and having him tried for fraud and extortion is really looking good especially when the word is passed in jail he likes to be a back door buddy. Okay, lets get Hunter in here and we'll proceed with how to get blackmailing charges filed against that bastard."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Hunter do you have time to meet us in the conference room?" asked Les.

"Sure I'll be there in a minute."

When Hunter walked into the conference room he found Steph sitting on Les' lap crying and Les rigid with anger. Sitting on the table was a manila envelope along with a pair of latex gloves. Hunter put on the gloves and opened the envelope. He barely glanced at the pictures but read the letter.

"Son of a Bitch, whoever this is will not get away with this."

"We know who did this Hunter. It is Dickie Orr, the sneaky little bastard must have had a hidden camera on their honeymoon. That's him in the pictures and there is a date that is right after their wedding."

"Okay let's get the letter and pictures checked for fingerprints."

"Oh God, don't let anyone see those pictures Please. Especially not the guys." sobbed Steph.

"Steph, sweetheart, we can't let him get away with this."

"I'll tell you what Beautiful, let's have the letter and the envelope dusted for prints right now. If they are Orr's we will contact the authorities and proceed from there okay?"

"Okay, please let's do everything we can to keep people from seeing those pictures."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Les, why are we being picked up by a rental car agency?"

"Because."

"What are you up to Lester Santos?"

"We need a small break to take a few hours to de stress and reconnect. One where I don't have to threaten to shoot people to be alone with my wife."

"You're nuts, what about the babies?"

"John made arrangements with Mom, Ella and Janie to take care of them tonight. We'll be at our cabin so we will be less than 15 minutes away. We need this time alone with no tapping at the door or pebbles at the window. You need to relax."

"Are you going to relax me?"

"Oh yeah and your going to relax me right back! I love you Beautiful."

"I will love you forever Les."

"Forever and ever Beautiful."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Tank and I were sitting in the new kitchen/great room waiting for Hunter and Les to bring in the reports on the fingerprints.

"How do you do it?"

"How do we do what Tank?"

"How do you keep disappearing right under our noses."

"Tsk Tsk you are losing your fine tuned edge." laughed Steph. "We wouldn't keep disappearing if we were allowed some privacy Tank. With all we've been through, Les and I are entitled to a little privacy."

"I know you need some privacy, I'll pass the word little girl."

There was a knock on the front door.

Ella walked past us and said she would get the door. Minutes later she entered the great room with 3 men, one of them was Joe Morelli.

"Steph, these two gentlemen are from the FBI and you already know Mr. Morelli."

"Let me introduce myself I'm Steve Walsh and this is Keith Richardson and you know Joe Morelli from Trenton PD."

"Tank, get Les and Hunter please."

"Already sent the word out Steph, everyone will be here in a minute."

"Would you gentlemen have a seat, would you like some coffee?"

"Cupcake…"

"Her name is Stephanie Santos, Detective." said Les entering the room and putting his arm around me.

. "Would you like some coffee or tea or would you prefer something cold?

"Stephanie Santos! You have to be kidding me!" yelled Joe.

"Joe, you will lower your voice or you will be escorted from our home."

The guys were slowly filing in from the front and back doors. Nix, Trouble and Job came in also and proceeded to walk up and sit down in front Joe.

Job showed his teeth.

"Detective Morelli, you are here as a courtesy to Trenton PD if you wish to remain you will sit down and remain quiet while Agent Richardson and I talk to Mrs. Santos." Job looked at Agent Walsh and then moved forward and growled at Joe, who sat down rather quickly as snickering was heard around the room. Ben walked in the room from upstairs looked around, walked over to Job said "Emily and Jordan need you Job", and Job followed the six year old out of the room along with Nix and Trouble. Laughter filled the room.

"Who are Emily and Jordan?" asked Agent Walsh.

"Our children, 3 month old twins." laughed Les "I wonder what Emily and Jordan wanted Job for?"

"Your Mom's with them so whatever Ben has in mind will be supervised."

"Mrs. Santos can we talk to you in private?" asked Agent Walsh.

"Agent Walsh, these men are my family whatever you have to say will be said in front of them."

"Mrs. Santos, the judge that is sitting on your case challenging the will of your uncle has received a blackmail threat by parties who want him to rule in their favor."

"So have I, but mine was for two million dollars. Hunter, would you like to bring the agents up to date on what we know."

"Certainly Steph, yesterday Stephanie received this in the mail at our offices in Baltimore. Aside from the two sets of fingerprints on the letter and envelope there is also Stephanie's fingerprints after she opened the envelope and saw the letter and pictures the rest of the team used gloves. Here are the results of the fingerprints on the pictures and the envelope. The first set of prints belong to Richard Orr and the second set belongs to Anthony Morelli."

"What the f… that not possible." yelled Joe.

"It most assuredly is so and is confirmed by the Trenton Crime Lab and the FBI." said Hunter.

"Detective Morelli, please wait outside." said Agent Walsh.

"Hey Joe, do you want Job to take you outside and wait with you." asked Tank.

Joe went outside and Hector and Vince followed him out. I looked at Jesse and Jenny and they went outside too. If Joe started trouble the only ones to diffuse Hector and Vince would be Jesse and Jenny.

"What do you want from us Agents?"

"Information and cooperation." said Agent Richardson.

"I was married to Dickie Orr, the pictures he sent were taken 1 day after we were married and I knew nothing about them till yesterday. I can tell you that Dickie paid someone to take his bar exam and I actually have a deposition from the person who took the test for him. I would make a bet that whoever is trying to blackmail the judge to throw the case is Dickie Orr, he would, along with my family, stand to gain a great deal of money if the Last Will and Testament of my uncle was set aside. I also have enough evidence to substantiate my right to the inheritance. What Anthony Morelli's connection to this is I can't even speculate except for the fact that Joe and I were involved in the past and Anthony has always wanted retribution for my breaking up with Joe."

"Agents, we have Orr and all of the Plums' under surveillance we placed Anthony Morelli under surveillance this morning. Here is what we have discovered so far…


	34. Chapter 34

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 34

JE creates I borrow

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Agents, we have Orr and all of the Plums' under surveillance we placed Anthony Morelli under surveillance this morning. Here is what we have discovered so far…

Xxxxxxxxxx

"We know that Anthony Morelli went to St Johns High School and graduated the same year as Dickie Orr. They were suspended three times, once for vandalism and twice for playing peeping tom by drilling holes in the ceiling of the girls locker room and taking pictures. Dickie went on to college and Anthony went into the Navy like his brother Joe. Anthony spent a great deal of time in the brig for being drunk and disorderly. He never made it past the grade of seaman. His records indicate that his final assignment was on a garbage barge."

"He is married with 4 sons ages two thru ten. His wife supports the family by working 2 jobs. She works in the button factory and as a janitor for the local school system. Anthony's mother Angie takes care of the children while his wife works. Morelli does not work and spends his spare time at Grubbs a local tavern. Through our street contacts we know he is into gambling and owes a local loan shark $35,000. Our informer tells us the only reason they have not collected is because Anthony is expecting a payoff in the near future."

"Do you think Joe Morelli is involved?" asked Agent Walsh.

"Joe may be a jerk with an attitude and an ass but he is not a dirty cop. Being a Cop means everything to him." said Steph.

Ella and Ginny walked into the room and handed the babies to Steph and Les. Ben came in with Nix, Trouble and Job. He walked to the door and let in his two puppies. He walked over and grabbed some dog biscuits, and fed one to each dog. He turned to the agents and said, "My name is Ben. I live here. That is Beautiful, and that is Gorgeous. Les, Jordan and I take care of them so watch out I'm keeping an eye on you and most especially that creep in the front yard." he grinned at them shook their hands and went over and climbed up on a stool at the breakfast bar and started to color.

"I guess we have just been told how things stand around here." laughed Agent Richardson.

"You have no idea." laughed Les "Emily is not allowed to have boyfriends are you Gorgeous." Emily looked up and smiled at her Daddy and blew Raspberries at him. Jordan smiled at his Mommy and blew raspberries also.

"Well, look what you learned this morning Jordan."

"Won't you stay for lunch? We are having crab soup, and assorted sandwiches made on brick oven bread, some homemade lasagna or salad with apple pie for desert." asked Ella.

"We'd love to but what about the Detective?"

"We'll let him back in and surround him with the guys and have Job sit next to him." laughed Steph. "Then after lunch we'll do some more planning, by that time we should have some more information from Trenton and Baltimore." said Les. "I just love seeing Morelli squirm."

True to Steph's word Detective Morelli was brought in and escorted to one end of the table surrounded by Cal, Hal, Tank and Hector. Hector decided to take out his knives and examine them. Joe gulped when he saw how many knives Hector took off his body. Tank took the bowl of walnuts and decided to crack them between is forefinger and thumb. Cal and Hal decided to throw darts at the dartboard backwards making all bullseyes and never turning around to see the board. Job sat next to Joe and stared and bared his teeth. Les and Steph just laughed while they played with the babies. Joe turned green.

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Two weeks later…**_

It was 8:30 am when the first navy blue Tahoe SUV pulled up in front of the Baltimore Courthouse followed by 4 navy blue Tahoes. The doors opened and out stepped Hunter, Lester and Stephanie, Beth and Tank followed. The rest of the SUVS emptied comprising of Ella, Louis, Skip, a majority of the merry men excluding the contingent that was home guarding Emily and Jordan, who were being taken care of by Ginny, Janie and the Manosos. Silvio, Rafe, Hector and Vincent were in Trenton.

At 9:00 am Hunter, Stephanie and Les holding hands walked into the courtroom followed by their family and friends. At 9:15 am the Plum's Baltimore lawyer Horatio Smith, Dickie Orr, Albert Klaughn, and Lula in an orange and black spandex dress with a yellow feathered hat entered the courtroom. Helen and Frank Plum and Valerie strutted in smiling and waved to the crowd.

At 9:30 am the Bailiff announced that court was in session and the Honorable Merton B. Fike was presiding. With that announcement Dickie Orr turned pale and Albert Klaughn passed out.

The court was recessed while the paramedics removed the Klaughn from the courtroom.

With the court back in session opening statements were made.

"Your Honor, the Last Will and Testament of Jacob Mazur was invalid because Mr. Mazur was not of sound mind and had been influenced and tricked into making changes to his will by one unscrupulous Stephanie Michelle Plum Great Niece of the deceased." When Mr Smith finished his opening statement the Plums and Lula stood up and high fived each other. The Judge pounded his gavel and instructed the Plum's lawyer to instruct his clients on proper courtroom behavior.

"Your Honor, The Last Will and Testament of Jacob Mazur is valid and will in fact, be proven by witnesses and video that the deceased was of sound mind and that Stephanie Plum had not had contact with the deceased since she was six years old." stated Hunter.

"You may proceed Mr. Smith"

"I would like to call to the stand Mrs. Helen Plum."

After the swearing in of the witness Mr. Smith asked Mrs. Plum

"Mrs. Plum what was your relationship to the deceased Jacob Mazur?"

"He was my father's brother therefore he was my Uncle."

"Were you close to your Uncle?"

"Yes, we were very close."

"Did you see him often?"

"Not as often as I would have liked to have seen him." replied Helen Plum.

"Did you write letters and call each other on the phone?"

"Yes we did write letters and we occasionally chatted on the phone."

"Thank you Mrs. Plum."

"Your turn counselor to question the witness."

"Mrs. Plum, are you aware that you just swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?" asked Hunter

"Objection!" yelled Mr. Smith

"Overruled, Mr. Smith can you please inform the court why you are objecting to the question asking Mrs. Plum if she was aware she swore to tell the truth?"

"I didn't think it was necessary your honor."

"I'll decide what is necessary counselor. Proceed."

"Mrs. Plum, are you aware that you just swore to tell the truth and nothing but the truth?" asked Hunter again.

"Yes, I am aware."

"Mrs. Plum, how often did you see the deceased?"

"I'm not sure how often I didn't keep count."

"Well, then let's just estimate. Did you see him on say Thanksgiving?"

"No"

"Did you see him on Christmas?"

"No"

"Did you see him on Easter?"

"No"

"Did you see him on the 4th of July, or Labor Day?"

"No"

"Okay so we have determined you didn't see him on any of the major holidays. Did you see him on any of the weekends during the year?"

"No"

"Okay so you didn't see him on weekends did you see him during the week?"

"No"

"When was the last time you saw your uncle, Jacob Mazur Mrs. Plum?"

"About 23 years ago."

"Mrs. Plum, you stated that you sent letters to your Uncle, is that true?"

"Yes."

"How many letters did you send to your Uncle?"

"A couple."

"Is that say more that twenty?"

"No."

"Did you send more than ten?"

"No"

"Did you send more than five?"

"I object!" yelled Mr. Smith

"Over ruled, please continue counselor."

"Did you send less than five?"

"Yes"

"In fact did you send only one letter Mrs Plum?"

"Yes"

"What did you write in your letter Mrs. Plum?"

"I don't remember."

"If it pleases the court I will present to the court the letter written by Mrs. Plum to her uncle as Exhibit A. Please read the letter out loud Mrs. Plum."

"No"

"Your Honor please instruct the witness to read the letter to the court."

"Mrs. Plum, please read the letter out loud or I will hold you in contempt of court."

Mrs. Plum began to read

"You son of a bitch. How dare you come to my home and ask to be included in family functions with your fag boyfriend. You are a pervert! You are no longer a member of our family. You are not my father's brother and you certainly are not my uncle. You don't exist in this family. I am including in this letter the page out of the family bible where your birth was listed. You are nobody and you don't exist in our family. We never want to hear from you again, we never want to see you again."

"Did you write this letter Mrs. Plum?"

"No, I didn't write this letter."

"Your Honor, may I present exhibit B. This is a affidavit from Mr. Robert Lamore, handwriting analyst for the FBI stating that this is indeed Mrs. Plum's handwriting."

"Counselor do you wish to cross examine your witness?"

"No Your Honor"

"Call your next witness."

"I call to the stand Valerie Plum Klaughn."

Valerie refused to stand up and Dickie and Lula had to grab her hands and escort her to the witness chair. She then had to be ordered to put her hand on the bible to be sworn in.

"Mrs. Klaughn when was the last time you saw your Uncle Jake?"

Valerie refused to say anything.

"Counselor please instruct your client to answer the question."

"Valerie please answer the question. When was the last time you saw your Uncle."

"I refuse to answer on the grounds it may incriminate me."

"Mrs. Klaughn" asked the judge "Are you refusing to answer your own lawyers questions?"

"Yes"

Bailiff, will you please escort Mrs. Plum and Mrs Klaughn to the lockup and begin processing them for perjury and contempt of court.

"Why me, I can't go to jail. What will the neighbors think?"

A voice came out of the crowd. 'You don't have to worry about the neighbors, your house was foreclosed on yesterday, sold last night and demolished this morning to make way for the new recreational park. The site of your former home is now the proposed site of a state of the art sewage pumping station.' The entire courtroom broke out in laughter. The judge pounded his gavel ordering the spectators to stop laughing or be escorted from the courtroom.

There was a glimmer of a smile on the judge's face for a second.

"Counselor call your next witness."

"No more witnesses your honor."

"Counselor you ready to present your clients side?"

"Yes, your honor."

"Your honor I would like to enter into the courts documents Exhibit C. This is the video of the late Jacob Mazur giving his sworn statement in a deposition."

"Hello, I am Jake Mazur and I am dying. The doctors at Hopkins have told me to get my affairs in order and so I am. I am doing a video under oath so that there will be no doubt as to how I want my property divided. To my companion of 30 years I leave my love and memories. We were fifty fifty partners in everything. He doesn't need any money or property from me because he has as much as I have in his own name, that's the way we set things up. I leave my entire estate to my great niece Stephanie Plum. Stephie you brought me so much joy. Your parents would not allow you to see me - but I saw you. Skip and I were at every recital, school play, gymnastic meet, swim meet and that wonderful day when you won the softball game. I know you didn't have it easy, and that your sister was the favored child by your parents, but you always had a big smile on your face. Your grandmother Edna Mazur kept us up to date with all your activities so we could blend into the background and take films and videos.

She is the one who told us that your parents spent your college fund on Valerie's wedding. I made sure you received a full schlolarship to the college of your choice. I made sure Edna had money to slip you without your parents knowledge so you could have a little fun once in awhile.

Stephie, I know some things that will bring you heartbreak in the near future, but I also know there is a wonderful man standing on the sidelines waiting for you. Take this money and create a home for all those you care about. Reach out to the community enjoy life and live well. I love you my little Stephie. Oh, I forgot, to my niece Helen Plum I bequeath you absolutely nothing and even that is to much because it was a waste of my breath."

"We rest our case your Honor."

"I am prepared at this time render my decision. The Last Will and Testament of Jacob Mazur stands. Case dismissed."

Les had his arms wrapped around Steph while she cried after hearing her Uncle's voice and words to her.

Frank Plum walked over to Steph "Pumpkin…"

Steph looked up and handed him two pieces of paper.

"Give these to your wife and daughter they are applications for the Button Factory and the Personal Products factory. I took a moment and filled them out for them…."


	35. Chapter 35

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 35

JE owns and I borrow

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Give these to your wife and daughter they are applications for

The Button Factory and the Personal Products factory. I took a moment and filled them out for them…."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Lester put his arm around me and pulled me to him. "I am so proud of you

And now we can put this behind us are you ready for the next step?"

"Yes."

Hunter made a call "We are done here in court. We are ready to move forward is everyone ready? Good let's start…"

At exactly 11:05 am the doors at the back of the courtroom opened and Agents Walsh and Richardson entered the courtroom followed by 6 Maryland State Troopers. Agent Walsh walked up to Dickie Orr, Lula, and Albert Klaughn who had reentered the courtroom after being revived by the paramedics.

"Are you Richard Orr?" asked Agent Walsh.

"Yes, I am."

"Mr Orr you are under arrest for extortion and blackmail of one Stephanie Plum Santos and Judge Merton B. Fike. You are also under the arrest for mail fraud. You have the right to remain silent…" The State Troopers handcuffed him and escorted him from the courtroom.

"Are you Albert Klaughn?" asked Agent Richardson. "Mr. Albert Klaughn you are under arrest for extortion and blackmail of one Stephanie Plum Santos and Judge Merton B. Fike. You are also under the arrest for mail fraud. You have the right to remain silent…" Albert Klaughn started to cry as he was handcuffed.

"Are you Tahlula Sheridan?"

"Yes I am."

"Ms. Sheridan you are under arrest for extortion and blackmail of Stephanie Plum Santos and Judge Merton B Fike. You are also under arrest for mail fraud. You have the right to remain silent…"

"Tankie, help me.." cried Lula as they put on handcuffs and led her from the courtroom.

Xxxxxxxxxx

11:05 Am Trenton, New Jersey

Agent Jack Smith turned his phone off. "It's a Go!"

FBI agents stormed the Bond office of Vincent Plum breaking in the door of the private office. Vincent Plum and Anthony Morelli you are under arrest for blackmail and extortion of Stephanie Plum Santos and Judge Merton B. Fike you also are facing charges of attempted bribery of Trenton States attorney Brian Clark and Mayor Joe Juniak. You have the right to remain silent…."

Connie Roselli sat at her desk surround by the FBI swat team with her mouth open and red nail polish dripping off her desk and making a puddle on the floor.

xxxxxxxxxx

11:05 am At City Hall in Trenton

Agent Bill Dahl yelled "It's a Go!"

The FBI swat team entered the offices of Joe Juniak, Mayor and Brian Clark, States Attorney and arrested their Administrative Assistants.

xxxxxxxxxx

11:05 am Trenton Police Department

Agent Carl Beall yelled "It's a go!"

FBI Swat team, the New Jersey State Police and United States Drug Enforcement Agency entered and arrested Chief of Police John Still, Detective John Slake and Patrolmen Andy Yarrow, Eddie Cooper, and Wayne Brown who they were arrested for extortion and drug trafficking ."

xxxxxxxxxx

11:05 am Blue Skye Recreational Park

Agent Norris yelled "It's a go!"

FBI Swat Teams, New Jersey State Police and United State Drug Enforcement Teams apprehended with the help of John Santos, Hector Rameriz, Silvio Manoso, Rafe Manoso and Vincent Santoni

Building Inspectors Larry Brown and George Treubert and the owners of

Ambros Concrete. The charges were extortion and drug trafficking.

BREAKING NEWS….WTRE…BREAKING NEWS….WTRE…..

This is Mandy Mars with WTRE reporting live from Trenton Police Department. There was a raid at the Trenton Police Department today by the FBI, New Jersey State Police and the United State DEA resulting in the arrest of Police Chief John Still, Detective John Slake and patrolmen Andy Yarrow, Eddie Cooper and Wayne Brown the charges are extortion and drug trafficking.

There were also raids at the Trenton City Hall and Blue Skye Recreational park resulting in the arrests of Building Inspectors Larry Brown and George Treubert and the owners of Ambros Concrete on the charges of extortion and Drug trafficking. Now back to Andrea at the News Desk

This Andrea Stanhope at the News Desk we will have more details on the arrests at the 5 o'clock news report along with an announcement by

Skys the Limit Enterprises that they have purchased the West Virginia Hunks and they are moving the team to the new Football Stadium located at the Blue Skye Recreation Park the team's new name will be called the Trenton Bombshells. Please tune in at 5 o'clock for all the exciting details.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Back in Maryland…

After having lunch with all the guys at a local restaurant at Baltimore's Inner Harbor most of the guys headed home while Tank, Hunter, Les and I walked the harbor.

"What's up Beautiful?"

"I feel bad for my parents. They have lost everything and now my mother and sister are sitting in jail without the means to even bail themselves out."

"Beautiful, they brought this all on themselves by their greed."

"I know, but what's going to happen to Angie and Mary Alice? Hunter, can we work out a trust fund for their education and where were they, who was taking care of them today?"

"I don't know Sweetheart, but I'll make some calls when I get back to the office. Where are the three of you going now?"

"I want to go to Hopkins and see Julie do you want to go with me or do you want to go do a male bonding thing?"

"I want to bond with you Beautiful."

"If you two were any more bonded we'd have to hire a seamstress to make clothes for the both of you to fit in to." laughed Tank. "Come on let's go to the hospital to see Julie."

"Tank, about Lula…"

"Little Girl, that is not a problem anymore. June and I are really enjoying each others company in fact, I thought I would invite her down for this weekend. She's anxious to see and hold Jordan and Emily, that's if Les and Ben let anyone else have a chance to hold them."

"I told you I was going to be a hands on Dad, Tank."

"Yeah and a lips on husband for Steph Les?'

"You got that right Tank - Life's Good ."

"Come on you two let's go to the hospital and see Julie." said Steph laughing.

a/n Thank you to Bibliophile1521 for their suggestion of the football team the Trenton Bombshells


	36. Chapter 36

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 36

JE spent time developing her characters

I spend time redeveloping her characters

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

"Little Girl, that is not a problem anymore. June and I are really enjoyingEach others company in fact, I thought I would invite her down for this weekend. She's anxious to see and hold Jordan and Emily, that's if Les and Ben let anyone else have a chance to hold them."

"I told you I was going to be a hands on Dad, Tank."

"Yea and a lips on husband for Steph Les?'

"You got that right Tank - Life's Good ."

"Come on you two let's go to the hospital and see Julie." said Steph laughing.

Xxxxxxxxxx

We were on our way to Hopkins when Julie called. "Steph, the doctors have released me. I'm going to be home soon. Can Ella make me a chocolate cake, with chocolate icing and chocolate chips on top?"

"I'm sure she would love to Julie. She should be home by now so give her a call and tell her what you want okay sweetie. We will see you soon."

I sent a text to Jesse "Take the babies up to your room…I want to beat Les to them."

We had barely pulled up to the house when Les threw open the door and ran into the house and up the steps. I sauntered in and walked sedately up the steps and to Jesse's room knocked softly on the door and went in.

"WHERE ARE THE BABIES! WHO HAS THE BABIES?" yelled Les. "STEPHANIE - WHERE DID YOU TAKE THE BABIES"

Jesse and I were quickly changing the babies into their new outfits. Jordan was wearing a Trenton Bombshell football jersey and Emily had on a Trenton Bombshell cheerleading outfit. The colors were Red, Black and White. I handed Jordan a plush football and Emily a plush megaphone.

"Stephanie you come out and bring the babies with you." yelled Les laughing.

I called him on the phone and when he answered it he could hardly say a word because he was laughing so hard.

"What are you going to do if I don't come out with the babies?"

"You'll find out tonight"

"OOOhhh Les that does sound promising."

"Where are you? I haven't seen the babies for hours."

"You won't recognize them Les they have changed so much in the 4 hours you haven't seen them. Why Jordan has grown a mustache and you should see Emily she's a real live bombshell." Jesse took an eyebrow pencil and penciled in a mustache on Jordan. I took off my suit and pulled on a Trenton Bombshell Jersey and shorts.

"Stephanie Santos you have exactly 1 minute to …."

"…to what Lester Santos? Are you looking for us?" I said opening the door.

He was standing in the hallway, his suit coat off, his tie askew, his hair mussed, his shirt sleeves rolled up - his green eyes dancing and his lopsided grin from ear to ear. He was without a doubt the most handsome man I had ever seen. He took my breath away. He walked up to me holding both babies and put his arms around us and drew us to him. He bent his head and kissed me then he kissed Emily and Jordan. "The three of you are my heart. Let me look at you - Emily you are a gorgeous cheerleader and Jordan look at your mustache! Are you the quarterback? Throw Daddy a pass Jordan."

We started down the stairs and when we got to the bottom Les was giving out more kisses. We walked into the great room where he handed Emily to his Mom and Jordan to Ella. He threw me over his shoulder smacked my ass and ran out the door to the pool.

"You are in so much trouble Beautiful, keeping me from the babies, changing out of that sexy suit without my help…." and into the pool we went laughing. When we surfaced he put his hands on each side of my face. "I love you more everyday Steph whatever you want if I can get it for you I will, just ask."

"I want you, Jordan and Emily and I want your green eyed babies Les that's all I want."

He looked down at me and smiled. "Well, you have me and Jordan and Emily - want to start working on my green eyed babies?"

All around us guys were jumping in the pool. Job was an excellent swimmer thanks to all his water therapy Nix and Trouble not so much - it must be a Boxer thing -all splash no form and depending on Cal and Hal for saving them.

I was oblivious to all that was going on around us. "Yes."

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Steph your cell phone is ringing non stop" yelled Tank.

"What does the caller ID say Tank?."

"Fungus"

"Les, that's Morelli."

"Fungus Beautiful?"

"Hand me the phone Tank please."

"What do you want Joe?"

"While your sister, mother, father and Klaughn were in Maryland they forgot to take something with them."

"Joe I just not in the mood for your riddles."

"It's not a riddle Cupcake. Your sister left Angie, Mary Alice and Lisa home alone. She left Angie in charge with bread, peanut butter, jelly and milk and no money. The electricity was turned off 5 days ago, the milk went sour and they ran out of diapers."

"Oh my God Joe!"

"Angie did the best she could washing tea towels in the bathtub until the water was turned off. They have been eating out of the neighbor's garbage. Steph, I caught Angie shoplifting milk and apple juice this afternoon. I picked up Mary Alice and Lisa and took them to my mother. I have to turn them into Child Protective Services Steph."

"No Joe you can't! Les and I will be up in a couple of hours please keep them at your Mom's house We are on our way."

"Tank get the jet ready. Does anybody know where Hunter is?"

"Ummm Steph Hunter had a date and I don't think he was coming home and his phone is off." stammered Hal.

"Okay, I can't wait, Les, we need to change and get to Trenton. I'll explain on the way." Does anybody know where Beth is? "

"I'm here Steph what's going on?"

"Follow us upstairs while we get into dry clothes. Hunter is ahhh busy and we can't…"

""Beth, Hunter is out screwing.."grinned Les.

"Lester Santos! We need a lawyer in Trenton, hopefully one that can help us with Child Protective Services."

"I'll get on it and find one. I'm going with you."

We ran back down the steps and stopped at Ella and Ginny.

They were holding Emily and Jordan and had a bag with clothes, diapers and bottles packed for them. "We're coming too."

We had to take the bigger plane, so many of the guys wanted to come also.

Les, called and had cars waiting for us, Beth called Hunter's old firm and one of the new partners specialized in family law and custody cases. I talked with her and explained the situation. She started handling it on her end. I called Hector and had him go with Rafe and Silvio over to my sister's house and take pictures of everything. The babies had fallen asleep when I turned to Les and indicated I wanted to go back to the bedroom of the plane.

"Les, I know you didn't sign on for this. I can't leave my nieces in this situation. When I heard what happened I just forged ahead and never even asked you for your opinion. I can't expect you to just deal with 3 more kids who will no doubt need counseling after what they have been through…"

"Sshhh Beautiful. one of the reasons I love you - is your capacity to love and include everyone into your family circle. Angie, Mary Alice and Lisa are your nieces I already love them. They are going to need us. Now, what we have to do is call Brian and John to stop the house we are building and figure out a new floor plan with 3 additional bedrooms. You know what this means don't you? Jordan and I are seriously out numbered! Now give me some kisses while we have 5 minutes of privacy before the guys start knocking on the door telling us we need to buckle up to land."

The plane landed, I could see all the SUV's waiting. Les and I were each holding a baby. Les reached out and grabbed my hand when the plane door opened. We stepped out of the plane and I looked around.

xxxxxxxxxx

Stephanie Michelle Santos had returned to Trenton and she did not even closely resemble the woman who had left months ago. With Les by her side and her family surrounding her she was a force to behold and no one would ever doubt it again.


	37. Chapter 37

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 37

JE owns, I borrow and return

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

Stephanie Michelle Santos had returned to Trenton and she did not even closely resemble the woman who had left months ago. With Les by her side and her family surrounding her she was a force to behold and no one would ever doubt it again.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Les, this is going to take longer than one day, I should have thought to book hotel rooms for all of us."

"No need Beautiful, John and I bought an apartment building close to the burg and rehabbed it for the workers to stay in while the project was going on. We are going to sell it after the construction is done. We just need to get a crib for Jordan and Emily. There is a large conference room where we can eat, John has set things up with a caterer for the workers meals so all we have to do is give them a head count."

I called Hunter's old office and asked for Ms. Bloom. She answered the call immediately.

"Ms. Bloom, thank you for taking my call. When can we meet to discuss the abandonment of my nieces? Detective Morelli did not take the girls to Child Protective Services, he took them to his mother and I would like to pick them up this evening."

"Mrs. Santos, I think we should let Detective Morelli take them to CPS and then we will make arrangements to get them out in a couple of days."

"Ms. Bloom there is no way I am going to allow my nieces to be placed in foster care while we sort this out. If that is the stance you are taking you are fired. I will find another lawyer."

"Well, Beautiful let's go pick up the girls and have Beth find another lawyer."

When I told Beth what happened she was shocked. She was going to call the senior partner and talk to him while Les and I went to buy a two cribs and a car seat for Lisa. Hal and Cal were going with us to bring the cribs and other things that Les and I picked up back to the apartment building.

It was the quickest trip that we had ever made to Baby's World. We bought 2 cribs and 2 mattresses, one for the twins and one for Lisa, sheets and blankets, one car seat, diapers, 6 dresses for Emily, 6 outfits for Jordan, 2 swings 1 in pink and 1 in camouflage that the guys found. 1 teddy bear in fatigues, 1 teddy bear in a pink tutu, 1 teddy bear in a pink gingham dress for Lisa, 1 cabbage patch dressed in cowboy outfit with a horse for Mary Alice and 1 porcelain doll for Angie. We would wait to see what sizes the girls needed before buying clothes.

I called Joe and got directions for his mother's house. When we walked into the house Angie and Mary Alice ran into my arms and cried. While I was soothing them Lisa just stood where she was and cried, she didn't remember me. Les, stooped down and introduced Jordan and Emily to her and she stopped crying. She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek. Ahhh. Another female conquest for one Lester Santos. He looked over at me and grinned, winked and shrugged his shoulders.

"Angie, Mary Alice I want you to meet your cousins Jordan and Emily and this is my husband Lester."

"You got married Aunt Steph?"

" Yes, I did and then Les and I adopted Jordan and Emily."

"Oh. I guess you won't be able to help us because you are busy with your babies." said Angie.

"Angie, as soon as we heard what happened, Les and I came right here. We want to take care of you and help in any way we can. If I can make arrangements would you like to come home with us?"

"Aunt Steph, can we go to school again?"

"When was the last time you went to school Angie?"

"We stopped going to school 3 months ago. Mom told the school she was going to home school us but she never did. We miss school and I'm tired of cleaning and taking care of Lisa and Mary Alice."

I looked over at Les and he said to the girls, "We are going to talk to some people and make arrangements for you to come home with us. You will have to tell people what exactly went on at home and then you can come home with us till we get this all sorted out. You are going to love being at our home. There is lots to do, Mary Alice, we even have horses."

Mary Alice threw her arms around Les and hugged him. Well, there is another little girl Lester has charmed.

"Is there something besides peanut butter and jelly to eat?" asked Angie.

"You never have to eat another peanut butter and jelly sandwich again Angie." and make that three little girls under Lester's spell.

He stood up and handed me Emily and bent and kissed me. "Almost ready to take our girls home Beautiful ?" Then he picked up Lisa. How could I not love this man?

"Mrs. Morelli, Grandma Bella thank you for taking the girls this afternoon.

I'm sorry about everything that has happened."

"Stephanie, your Grandma Mazur would be so proud of you." said Grandma Bella. "I owe you an apology too. You are amazing and you have a very handsome husband."

"He's showed me what real love is Grandma Bella I never thought I could be this happy. Now we have to make arrangements for the girls to come home with us. You have my phone number if you need anything."

Xxxxxxxxxx

We rode over to Valerie's house so the girls could pick up whatever they wanted to take from the house. I was absolutely appalled at the physical condition of the house. Windows were broken, the grass hadn't been mowed, the furniture was broken or threadbare, there was no food in the house. The girls had hardly any clothes that fit. Hector had taken hundreds of pictures of the house. Silvio had a file folder with copies of all the turn off notices and the final shut off notices of the gas, electric and water. The neighbors came over and offered to testify how mistreated the girls and been. They didn't know that they had been left alone or were without food or they would have taken them in. We packed up the few possessions the girls wanted to take. Beth called and she had talked to the managing partner of Hunter's old firm and we were going back to the office to see him.

"Mr Seville, I am very happy to meet you, this is my husband Lester Santos, our twins Jordan and Emily and my nieces Angie, Mary Alice and Lisa."

"Beth, can you wait with the girls while we talk to Mr. Seville?"

"Sure I can and I just happen to have some books for Angie and coloring books and crayons for Lisa and Mary Alice."

I showed Mr. Seville the pictures, and Silvio's file folder. He called in Angie and Mary Alice and asked them some questions. I told him about Joe's call and the neighbors.. He looked up and said this was a clear case of neglect, abandonment and reckless endangerment of minors. He picked up the phone and placed a call to Camille Wheeler, head of the Child Protective Services and put it on speaker.

"Camille, this is Harvey Seville. I am sitting in my office with Stephanie and Lester Santos and we have a problem."

"Harvey, is this the Stephanie Santo's who with her husband is building the recreational park."

"Yes it is."

"What is the problem?"

"We explained the situation and conditions in which the girls had been living and that their mother and stepfather were in jail in Maryland along with their grandmother."

"Can you be in my office tomorrow at 8:30 am?"

We nodded our heads to Mr. Seville. "Camille, we will be there tomorrow and we will bring the girls and all the documentation we have gathered. The girls have no clothes and need to go shopping and Camille they have been living on peanut butter and jelly and whatever they could find in the neighbor's garbage cans. The Santos want to be granted custody."

"Harvey, bring all the documentation tomorrow, do you have the school records?"

"No, as I understand it they have not been allowed to go to school and supposedly the mother Valerie Klaughn was going to home school but has never done so."

"I'll take care of the school. See you tomorrow."

"Mrs. Santos, it might help us if you take the girls to their pediatrician if at all possible this afternoon. Find out the condition of their health. Here is the address of the CPS I'll see you there at 8am to go over some of the details. By the way, where is Hunter?"

"After our court hearing in Baltimore he had a prior engagement and he is where he doesn't get cell service."

"We walked out of the office and Lester leaned into me and whispered "You just told a lie and blushed 18 shades of red. I think Harvey knows exactly where and what Hunter is doing."

"Les, we don't know that he is doing what all you guys think he is doing."

"Beautiful, yes we do and if he shows up all relaxed and mellow instead of the uptight bastard he usually is that will be the proof." laughed Les. "Come on let's see if we can get them into the pediatrician and then go to the Mall and get the girls some clothes. Do you think we can go to Victoria's Secret?"

"Not with the girls."

"We'll have Beth and the guys take them to the Build a Bear store while I take you shopping Beautiful."


	38. Chapter 38

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 38

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_**Previously…**_

"Do you think we can go to Victoria's Secret?"

"Not with the girls."

"We'll have Beth and the guys take them to the Build a Bear store while I take you shopping Beautiful."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Angie remembered the name of the pediatrician and I called the office. I explained the situation to his nurse and she put the doctor on the phone immediately.

"Bring them in to the office now, we were closing but we will stay to see them."

We were at the doctor's office ten minutes later. We all walked in and the doctor and nurse greeted us. Dr. Shidley looked at us and at the twins and grinned. "How premature were they?"

"Eight weeks - How did you know?" replied Lester taking Emily's bonnet off.

"The shape of the head, preemies have long thin heads, full term have round heads. They are really alert." with that Emily smiled and blew raspberries, echoed immediately by Jordan. We all laughed.

"Come on girls let's get you weighed and measured."

Dr. Shidley went over the girls with a fine tooth comb. He talked to Angie and then Mary Alice. Lisa wouldn't say a word. He then gave them each a lollipop and some granola bars and told them to go play in the other room for a few minutes.

"Okay, here is the gist of it. I haven't seen the girls in over 6 months. Angie has lost over 8 pounds since she was here last. Mary Alice is the same weight and Lisa has gained only 3 pounds. None of them have grown an inch. I suspect that Angie has been giving her food to her sisters. I don't see any signs of bulimia or anorexia. Mary Alice has always thought she was a horse but even that has decreased. The one I am the most concerned about is Lisa.

She has regressed in her motor skills, she used to be potty trained and isn't now and she has stopped talking. Clearly, they have been neglected. Angie and Mary Alice need to see a dentist immediately. Mary Alice has an abscess that needs to be taken care of. I will write a prescription for an antibiotic. We don't want to have the infection spread. What time is the hearing with Ms. Wheeler tomorrow?"

"It's at 8:30."

"I'll be there with the records and my medical opinion. Mrs. Santos your nieces are lucky you stepped in. They need good food, lots of love and I would suggest you get them counseling as soon as possible."

"They will have everything they need Doctor and most especially the love. My wife is the most loving person you will ever meet. We'll see you tomorrow morning." said Les.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Lester's POV

Macy's did not know what hit them when Steph, Beth, Angie and Mary Alice hit the aisles. Tank was carrying Lisa who kept rubbing his bald head and laughing. I had Emily and Jordan and my shirt was soaking wet from them blowing raspberries and drooling. Hector was running around with his camera and Manny and Woody were flirting with the sales staff. I sent Binky and Brett to the baby department to buy a stroller. Then I stood back and watched the show. Angie knew exactly what she wanted to wear. Steph listened and only vetoed two outfits. I would have vetoed more I went to say something to Steph and she just shook her head. Angie picked out clothes for Mary Alice who said no to everything she picked. Mary Alice picked numerous pairs of jeans and t shirts with this glittery stuff on them. They all got together and picked out Lisa's clothes. Lisa didn't care one way or another, she was to busy buffing Tank's head. Tank wasn't saying much but every once in awhile you could see a smile.

Exactly one hour later it took 5 men two trips to the SUV's to carry everything out. Then the girls hit the shoe department. It took every sales person on the schedule to get the shoes being picked out. I walked around looking at shoes and found these 4" stiletto black shoes and I just stared at them thinking about Steph wearing them and nothing else, a hand reached for the pair I was looking at and said to a sales representative,

"Size 7 please…" lips touched my lips "…I'll model them for you tonight."

Oh, I was getting lucky tonight, all I could do was grin. Tank looked over and said under his breath "Lucky Bastard."

Lisa who had not said one word all day looked up and rubbed Tank's head and yelled "Lucky Bastard." I didn't think a man as black as Tank could blush - but he did. I just laughed. Steph just glared at both of us, she was not happy, maybe I wasn't going to get lucky tonight after all.

We went to the food court and Steph asked the girls what they wanted.

They said they weren't hungry but Lisa liked chicken strips and waffle fries and they would eat a few of Lisa's. Steph and I looked at each other and realized what Doctor Shidley said was true; Angie and Mary Alice weren't eating so Lisa could. I handed the Jordan and Emily to Beth and Hector.

I pulled Mary Alice on to my lap and Steph wrapped her arms around Angie "You need to know that there will always be enough food for the three of you and you don't have to do without so Lisa can have food." Steph told them.

"So you both pick what you want to eat and when you are done we will all have sundaes. Okay?"

We are grown men but it brought tears to all of our eyes when those little girls sat down and began to eat. They must have been starving. Hector went up to the counter and brought back more food for them before they had finished the first serving. .

I told the guys and Beth to take the girls and the babies up to the Build a Bear store and Steph and I would meet them up there. I held her hand as we walked the mall to Victoria's Secret. One hour later we joined the teddy bear makers at their workshop. Beth was helping Lisa and Angie was helping Mary Alice. Jordan and Emily each had a bear almost as big as they were.

"Who helped Jordan and Emily?" grinned Steph.

"Tank and Manny did." reported Mary Alice "It was fun to watch them dress the bears."

"Where were you two?" asked Tank.

"Dressing Mommy." I said under my breath.

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Steph's POV

At 8:00 am the next morning we were meeting Dr. Shidley and Mr. Seville at the Child Protective Services office.

"Mr. Seville, Dr. Shidley how are you this morning?" asked Steph.

"Please call me Russ." asked Mr. Seville

"Only if you call me Steph and this is Les."

Dr. Shidley took Steph's hand and said, "My name is John."

"Steph, I called Judge Fike yesterday afternoon and he is going to hold Mrs. Plum and Mrs. Klaughn until they apologize to the court. He also intended to dismiss the perjury charges until he spoke with both women. He has ordered them both to be evaluated by a psychiatrist. When he asked Mrs. Klaughn about her children she said her oldest daughter was taking care of them.

He asked her how old her daughter was and her response was old enough and that she had impeccable burg manners. He is available this morning if the CPS has any questions.

At 8:30 Camille Wheeler called us into the conference room. After we relayed all the information she excused herself and met first with Angie then Mary Alice and then Lisa. I only prayed that Lisa would not remember the two words she learned last night I looked at Les and I could see he was nervous too.

"Mr. and Mrs. Santos, we have a hearing with Judge Burke at 1pm today in his chambers. I am recommending that temporary custody be granted to you and that a full investigation take place in severing parental rights and granting you full permanent custody. Good Luck."

We took the girls and the babies to the park and the guys had a lot of fun pushing them on the swings.

I sat watching them thinking about how my life had changed. "You know Tank I almost expected Ric to show up."

"He's still on a mission, chances are he will not get back for another 6 to 8 months. I did get a call from Jake who is in charge of the Trenton office and he offered us any assistance we needed, but I told him it was taken care of. You do realize these proceedings will be part of a public record that can be accessed. I think when Ranger does get back he will turn up in Maryland."

"Well, I guess I'll have to deal with him when he shows up won't I." I got up and walked over to Les who was taking pictures of the kids. I put my arms around his waist. "I love you Lester Santos." Lisa looked up and yelled "Lucky Bastard!" and Lester whispered in my ear "I am I really am."


	39. Chapter 39

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 39

JE owns, I borrow and return

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

I got up and walked over to Les who was taking pictures of the kids. I put my arms around his waist. "I love you Lester Santos." Lisa looked up and yelled "Lucky Bastard!" and Lester whispered in my ear "I am, I really am."

Xxxxxxxxxx

We sat on the park bench when my phone rang. "Hello Hunter how are you this afternoon?" Les poked me "Have you been relaxing?" I smiled at Les.

"Yes Steph, I've been trying to take some down time to relax."

"Good, I'm glad you are relaxed." Les started to laugh. "Yes, that is Lester laughing. No, it's a private joke."

"Steph, I just realized my phone was off and when I turned it on I saw how many times you and the guys called. Why did you call and is there a problem?"

"Why did I call so many times yesterday well, I ran into a problem and we had to come to Trenton."

"What kind of a problem and are you home now?

"No, I'm not home Hunter. We are up in Trenton."

"Who is in Trenton and you haven't told me what the problem is Steph."

Well, Les, the babies, Beth, Tank, Binkie, Manny, Brett, Hal, Cal, Hector and off course Silvio and Rafe…why are we here? Well, my niece Angie was picked up by Joe for shoplifting and when he asked her why she told him that Val and the rest of them had left her and the girls….."

"You mean to tell me they left those little girls alone for days! Why the hell didn't you call me."

"Hunter stop yelling at me. I tried to get a hold of you but you turned off your phone."

"You should have sent someone to get me!" yelled Hunter.

"I couldn't send anyone to get you, because no one knew where you were - remember you were relaxing by the way what was her name." Lester was doubled over laughing and I smacked him in the arm while trying not to laugh.

"There was no her involved. I was just relaxing."

"There was no her involved Hunter. Is that what you said? I didn't know that you…."

"Stephanie, that is not what I meant oh shit sweetheart I just needed…crap..okay your right ."

"YES! I know how you were relaxing and you deserve to relax."

"I'm coming up to Trenton."

"NO Hunter you are not coming to Trenton. Your former law firm is representing me ….we are meeting the judge in 45 minutes so you wouldn't make it.

"Are you mad Steph? I let you down."

"No I'm not mad at you and you didn't let me down. You want to talk to Les…"

I handed the phone to Les who was grinning and loving each and every moment.

"No Hunter she is not mad, she understands you needed to relax."

"Will you stop with saying I was relaxing."

"What would you have us say our lawyer is off screwing …."

"God dammit Lester.."

"Hey don't get testy with us maybe you should go back to who was relaxing you. You're getting very uptight again. By the way, Gus Seville is representing Steph - we shouldn't have trouble with temporary custody and setting up for permanent custody."

"Where are Mrs. Plum and Valerie, Les?

"They haven't been released and they caused such havoc the Judge ordered a psychiatric evaluation."

Xxxxxxxxxx

Two hours later the Judge granted temporary custody to Steph and the foundation was set for pursuing permanent custody. The statements of all the experts were taken into account, but it was what Angie and Mary Alice told the Judge in his private chambers that convinced him.

We loaded up the SUV's with all the purchases from Macys. We left the cribs and stroller in storage at the apartment building Les and John owned. We made a stop at the Tasty Pastry to pick up the 20 dozen donuts we ordered and then we made our way to the plane for the trip home to Maryland.

Brett and Tank filed the flight plan and we were on our way. Beth and Rafe were as Les put it 'consulting' in the back of the plane. The girls were playing go fish. Lisa was sleeping and the twins were sitting on our laps and we were just looking at each. Lester started grinning at me "Beautiful, we've been married 4 months and we have 5 kids."

"Les, I know you didn't sign on for this…"suddenly lips crashed down on in a soul searching kiss.

"I am lucky to be with the woman I love and lucky to be the Daddy of two of the most beautiful babies in the world and have 3 wonderful nieces to raise with their aunt. So don't ever say that again do you hear me Beautiful. Now, let's start thinking about how we need to change the house plans for more kids."

Xxxxxxxxxx

SPOV

Things had quieted down, at least for us it had quieted down. With a slight adjustment we added 2 more bedrooms on to the house plans. Brian was already working on plans for a whole addition to the house to be added next spring. Angie, Mary Alice and Lisa were in counseling and Lester's sister Janie was home schooling Angie and Mary Alice for now to get them caught up. Lisa was potty trained again and was talking however, 'Lucky Bastard' was still her favorite phrase. The minute Lisa saw Tank she was in his arms and Tank loved it.

After going to Hector, Vince proposed to Jesse and she said yes they asked Tank to plan the wedding. Jenny had been accepted to Johns Hopkins University and would start classes in January.

Les and I got a letter from Albert Klaughn. He signed over his parental rights of Lisa and the girls who he had adopted and thanked us for taking them in. He apologized for his part in the will and blackmailing fiasco. He had pled guilty and was sentenced to 5 years. He said being in jail was heaven compared to being married to Valerie and having Helen Plum as his mother in law. No one has seen or heard from my father. My mother and sister have been committed to a state facility for psychiatric treatment. My mother works in the laundry and Valerie is working in the kitchen.

We dressed the babies up as Kangaroos for Halloween. Angie was the Princess , Mary Alice was a cowgirl and Ben was a pirate and Lisa was a bunny. We took them trick or treating on our property. The guys all stayed in their bungalows and the kids went door to door. Louis had fixed up a wagon for a hayride, good thing he was pulling it with a tractor because, the guys all piled on the wagon, if it was pulled by horses it wouldn't have gone 1 foot.

I loved Les more and more everyday. We still had no privacy and it was really entertaining with how Les plotted and planned our getaways to the cabin.

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Ella, Ginny, Beth, and Jesse were sitting around the table with legal pads and pens and were plotting out Thanksgiving and Christmas. The guys were outside watching, or make that supervising, the two huge greenhouses being built. The girls and Ben were watching a video and the babies were upstairs taking a nap. I had the baby monitor next to me while I typing my next chapter into my laptop when I felt Les's arms wrap around me and he started kissing my neck when we heard it and then we heard it again. We both stared at the monitor.

Da da da da… I have never seen a man 6'6" tall move so fast in my life with me on his heels. We ran up the steps and into the nursery and there they were in their crib looking at each other and saying back and forth da da da da.

Les was grinning ear to ear. "Did you call me? Whatever, you need Jordan and Emily Daddy is here to give it to you with Mommy. We love you so much."

That night we were sitting at the dinner table and Skip asked Ella "How many turkeys do you think we need for Thanksgiving."

Ella looked up and said "A Flock of turkeys, we took a head count today and with all the Manosos coming and Ron and Rachel and the kids we are having 78 people for dinner."

I looked up and said, "I thought it would be more that that. I only pray that Julie won't have to stay in the hospital after her tests."

"From your lips to God's ears" replied Ella.


	40. Chapter 40

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 40

JE developed wonderful characters and she lets us borrow them.

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_**Previously…**_

That night we were sitting at the dinner table and Skip asked Ella

"How many turkeys do you think we need for Thanksgiving."

Ella looked up and said "A Flock of turkeys, we took a head count today and with all the Manosos coming and Ron and Rachel and the kids we are having 78 people for dinner."

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The babies were finally sleeping through the night, Lisa wasn't having nightmares anymore, Angie was reading so many books we couldn't keep up with going to the library so we bought her a Kindle and set up a Visa card for her to download books, Mary Alice spent most of her time with Woody and the horses. Woody proudly told us that Mary Alice could communicate with the horses better than anyone he had ever seen. She was working with one of the rescued horses.

Les and I were finally able to spend some time alone even if it was at midnight while we danced to the Jukebox. I had candles all around the room and opened a bottle of wine to breathe. I had bought fresh strawberries dipped in chocolate, and a fruit and cheese platter and I had a fire going in the fireplace. I had put on a short, tight black dress with a pair of black 4" heels.

I blindfolded Les and brought him down on the elevator. My husband was hot and I was planning a romantic evening ending up with mind blowing sex.

We were slow dancing and Les had one hand in my hair, one hand on my ass and he was kissing my neck and whispering exactly what he planned to do to me. I had my arms wrapped around his neck and if he did half the things he was promising I was going to a very satisfied, happy woman tonight. The stage was set and we were enjoying our time alone when we heard a noise.

I groaned and Lester whispered… "Ignore them, they will go away"

We kept dancing and the noise came again only a little louder this time.

"Les, they are not going away."

"Sssshhh baby, concentrate on what my lips are doing and promising."

"Les, I will try but maybe you better take your hand off my ass while they are at the door."

"Where would you like me to put my hand Beautiful?" As he took his tongue and ran it around the shell of my ear. I remember moaning softly while the noise was getting louder.

"Oh God Les, make them go away."

"You made me leave my guns upstairs Beautiful or I would shoot them."

The knocking was getting louder and now there were voices.

Les groaned and then he said "Don't go anywhere, I'll be right back"

He walked over to the French doors and told Manny, Brett, Cal, Hal and Binkie to go away or he would shoot them.

They laughed and said "We're hungry."

"Go back to your bungalows they have kitchens!" yelled Les.

"They do but they don't have food in them. You have food and the strawberries and the fruit and cheese look really good." said Manny.

"Come on Les let us in."

"Hell no! Go Away."

"We won't drink your wine." said Hal

"Your damn right you won't drink our wine and you can be sure you won't eat our food. Steph went to a lot of trouble to set this up for us. I know you don't understand the concept of us needing privacy so I'll make it very plain get the fuck away from this door and go back to your houses. Leave us the hell alone. Tomorrow I'm going to beat the shit out of all of you."

"Hey Les, don't look now but you are alone." said Manny.

I turned around, the candles had been blown out, the food was put away, the jukebox had been turned off and there was no Beautiful. "If Steph went upstairs and she's crying because you spoiled her surprise, there is nowhere you will be able to hide."

Xxxxxxxxxx

The next morning when Hal, Cal, Manny, Bret and Binkie came by for breakfast they were greeted by an unhappy Ella and Ginny.

"Where is breakfast Ella?"

She handed each one a jar of peanut butter and a loaf of store bought bread.

She then shoved them out the door and locked it behind them. "Don't come back till you apologize to Steph and Lester and understand their need for privacy."

When they turned around to leave they faced Tank, Zero, Vince, Jesse, and Hector who was carving a piece of wood into a spear with a machete.

"I understand we need to have a discussion on Angel's privacy…" said Hector.


	41. Chapter 41

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 41

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_**Previously…**_

When they turned around to leave they faced Tank, Zero, Vince, Jesse, and Hector who was carving a piece of wood into a spear with a machete.

"I understand we need to have a discussion on Angel's privacy…" said Hector.

Xxxxxxxxxx

"Let's walk up to the barn and have a little talk." said Hector.

"No, I think we have work to do for one of the greenhouses." said Cal.

"Cal, I wasn't asking you if you want to go up to the barn. I was telling you we were going to the barn." said Hector.

When we got to the barn there were a lot of the guys training in the state of the art facility. No expense had been spared. I looked over at Hal, Manny, Binkie and Brett and all of us looked at the blank faces of Tank, Zero, Vince and Hector. Jesse walked over to the wall and removed the first aid kit.

The thought went through my mind that this must have felt like what it was to be taken to the woodshed. You knew you did wrong, you knew what was coming and you knew it was going to hurt like hell.

A door crashed open and we all turned in that direction. There stood Lester Santos. Not the Lester Santos who is charming, not the Lester Santos who plays jokes on his friends, not the Lester Santos who blows raspberries on his baby's belly. This was the Lester Santos who is feared by his enemies, this is the lethal Lester Santos and there was no doubt this was going to be very painful. There wasn't a sound in the facility and all eyes were focused on him.

He walked over and stood in front of us and said, "Stephanie loves all of you and has opened her heart and created a family with all of us. She has shared everything with you. I married her because she is my soul mate and I also realized that I would share her goodness and love with all of you. I also understood that for the most part we would be living in a goldfish bowl with hardly any privacy, but I had hoped that our friends and family would understand our need for some privacy. You overstepped that on our wedding night with 160 calls and messages on our cell phones and using a helicopter to try to find us. Some of you realized that was wrong and backed off."

"Last night was special for us, it doesn't matter why it was special it just was. She went to a lot of trouble to surprise me and you ruined it for her, what is worse you made her cry. I can stand a lot of things, but I can't stand to see Beautiful cry. When I am done beating the shit out of you, you will apologize to her. You will also from this moment on respect our privacy or the next lesson will be even more painful."

Three hours later we were being treated by Bobby and Tom. Lester, true to his word, beat the shit out of us. We fought back and he had a black eye and a cut lip but the the 6'6" Santos was a lethal weapon when angered because we made Steph cry. With every kick, punch and jab he reinterated to us why we would never again make his Beautiful cry. His anger at us was only a small reason we hurt. We never thought what we did would hurt Steph and hurting Steph and making her cry was unacceptable.

We limped into the kitchen and great room. Steph was decorating cookies with her nieces and Ben. The babies were in the swings and Ella, Ginny, Janie and Beth were baking more cookies. The conversation stopped when we approached Steph.

Manny stepped forward. "Stephanie, we are sorry for everything. We never meant to hurt you or cause you to cry. Please find it in your heart to forgive us and we promise to never invade your privacy again."

She just stood up and came over to hug us. "Do you need ice?"

"No."

"Where is Lester?"

"We don't know."

She turned away from us and asked Ginny and Janie to help the girls and watch the twins and she walked out the door.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Steph started walking the shoreline looking for Les. Each and every place brought back all their walks. In the beginning they were just walks and then one day Les took her hand and held it. Slowly she began to trust him and she opened her heart to him. She passed the spot where the kidnappers had dragged her to and she remembered the loyalty of her puppies who were walking by her side right now. She remembered how she knew nothing would stop Les from coming for her. She sat in the gazebo staring out at the bay, where would he be? Where would he go after he beat up the guys that had ruined Les and her evening? She stood up and started running until she burst into the clearing where their house was being built. The puppies ran to him barking and he stood up and opened his arms to her.

She ran to him laughing and jumped into his arms. "I love you so much Lester."

"I thought you would be mad at me."

"Never, those idiots deserved it. They did come and apologize, they looked pitiful . Does your eye hurt my love?"

"It does, will you kiss it and make it better Beautiful?"

"I will."

"It hurts here too." he said pointing to his lips.

I gently kissed his lips.

"I wanted John to put in a moat with piranha. He won't. He said it would be to dangerous for you and the babies and the nieces. I told him not to worry because I wasn't going to let any of you out of the house and he could drop supplies from the helicopter. He still refused."

I wrapped my arms around him and laughed. "You are crazy! Take me on a tour of our house."

In spite of changing the plans 4 or 5 times the house was going to be wonderful. Les and John had 3 full time crews working on it. It was under roof and the interior walls were going up. I loved the great room with the wall of windows looking out on the bay that was two stories tall. The fireplace was massive and the wood box could be loaded from the outside just like I wanted. Hector had developed a special security system just for it.

We wandered through the bedrooms talking about which child would have which room. Since the babies refused to sleep unless they were still in the same crib we picked the room closest to our room.

The master bedroom was immense and it had a wall of windows facing the bay. We stood there looking out on the bay when Les asked "Beautiful, will you go away with me tonight? I think we need a few days of just you and me. Please?"

"Do we have to wait till tonight?"

Xxxxxxxxxx

We had driven 4 hours out to western Maryland and rented a secluded cabin on Deep Creek Lake. The drive had been slow and leisurely we stopped at a small town and had a wonderful dinner. The restaurant featured german food and had a gift shop attached where we picked up some handmade wooden toys for the twins and the girls. We fell in love with some of the quilts and bought 1 for each of the girls. Lester found a quilt for our new bedroom it was a double wedding ring. I think he shocked the Mennonite women when he started kissing and whispering in my ear. We paid for the quilts and arranged for them to be shipped.

I woke up wrapped in Lester's arms. I could hear the wind in the pine trees and I smelled a fire in the fireplace and fresh brewed coffee. I snuggled down and let out a contented sigh. "I love you."

"I love you too. I brought you in some coffee and some of the pumpkin bread we bought yesterday."

"Les, I distinctly remember getting up at about 5 am and I pulled on your Ravens shirt and some boxers. I seemed to have lost those items of clothing."

"You got hot and I helped you out of them."

"I don't remember getting hot"

"Maybe not, but I can absolutely guarantee you will be hot in the next few minutes." as he started kissing me and describing in minute detail everything he was going to do in the next few days. God, I was such lucky woman.

Not one inch of my body had gone untouched and kissed by this beautiful man. My body responded to just his look and fiery touch and I felt I was always balanced on the precipice ready to fall at his command and he kept me there for hours. He finally let me fall into deep sleep with his promise of forever.

Xxxxxxxxxx

I looked back and laughed at his astonished face when I beat him across the finish line. We had found a go cart racetrack and after he beat me the first two times I had figured out how I could beat him. As we raced around the track there was spot on the far side on the track that couldn't be seen by the attendant. We were side by side and he looked over with his grin that exuded a smugness knowing he was going to win again when I unleashed my secret weapon. I pulled up my tee shirt and flashed him my bare breasts. I then hit the gas, forged forward and left my speechless husband in the dust while I pulled my shirt down. I pulled the go cart into the parking lane, jumped out and ran across the field with him hot on my heels. I jumped into the Mustang trying to lock the doors before he caught me, but I was laughing so hard I fumbled with the lock and he jumped in and grabbed the car keys out of my hand.

"I can't believe you did that. That is playing dirty by distracting me!"

"Were you distracted?"

"You better believe it Beautiful. Let's go back to the cabin and I will show you how distracted I was."

He might have been distracted at the track but he was entirely focused by the time we returned to the cabin and that focus made me a very happy woman.


	42. Chapter 42

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 42

JE owns, I borrow and return

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

I looked back and laughed at his astonished face when I beat him across the finish line. We had found a go cart racetrack and after he beat me the first two times I had figured out how I could beat him. As we raced around the track there was spot on the far side on the track that couldn't be seen by the attendant. We were side by side and he looked over with his grin that exuded a smugness knowing he was going to win again when I unleashed my secret weapon. I pulled up my tee shirt and flashed him my bare breasts. I then hit the gas, forged forward and left my speechless husband in the dust …

Xxxxxxxxxx

The four days we spent at the lake were wonderful. We laughed and made love, we talked about the future and how we would handle certain situations. We decided to continue home schooling the girls for the rest of the school year so they wouldn't be traumatized by starting in a new school mid term. The girls' counseling was working. We decided to pursue adopting them since Albert had already consented we just needed Valerie's consent or have the courts terminate her parental rights.

The weather was warm and sunny for a November day so we rented a boat and toured the lake.

"I want to come back here Les. It's not that far away and it would be good for the kids. I love the ocean and all the fun things to do but, this is so quiet and peaceful. I think in the years to come this would be a wonderful place to come and reconnect as a family."

"Do you want to look at some places while we are here? We could buy an existing house or build one it's up to you."

"Why don't we see what's available to buy first and then decide."

We stopped at a real estate office and picked up some brochures and a list of properties to ride past. We left our requirements and email address. I don't think the agent thought we were serious in the type of property and the amount we were willing to spend. It might have been because I was in overalls and Lester was in ripped jeans and a worn tee shirt and had a black eye. Before we went back to the cabin to pack Lester pulled into the go cart track. He leaned over and kissed me and challenged me to another race and then he laughed. He knew he would win because I was wearing overalls and couldn't flash him.

So I accepted the challenge, I kissed and caressed him till he was hard as a rock. I jumped out of the car. Threw money at the cashier and bolted to the go carts and jumped in and took off. I went around the track two times and as I was pulling into the parking lane Les grabbed me out of the go cart, threw me over his shoulder and walked back to the car with me laughing and yelling "I won!"

"Do you know what happens when my wife teases me, Stephanie Santos!"

"She gets to make love to her husband?"

He threw his head back and laughed, smacked my ass and said "You bet your life she does."

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The four days away were just what we needed, love, laughter and time to talk and make some decisions. The girls were happy, and Tank seemed to have grown a little girl on his shoulders. Wherever he went, Lisa was attached. She would be rubbing his head and then bend down and kiss his head. Tank loved every minute. Emily was saying Mama along with Dada. Jordan said Dada and Em, and I waited for him to say Mama. Every time Emily said Mama, Jordan would look at me and grin, if I didn't know better I would guess he was teasing me.

Les and I sat with Ella, Louis, Skip and Tank talking one afternoon sharing coffee and apple cake that had been my Grandma Mazur's recipe.

The next day Les and I spent a couple of hours with Hunter at the office in Baltimore. When we left Hunter was staring out the window. Les leaned back in the doorway and told Hunter to go and "relax." Hunter threw his desk phone at Lester and it crashed into the wall and shattered.

"Why did you do that Les?"

"Sometimes a man needs to blow off a little steam - I just gave him an outlet to release that pressure Beautiful."

We were decorating the house for Thanksgiving, It was going to be beautiful. Ella and Ginny were baking up a storm and the smells that were coming out of the kitchen were heavenly.

Beth and I spent a couple of hours a day Christmas shopping on line and Les swore was going to buy stock in UPS. Every day the truck pulled up and boxes and boxes were unloaded, now if the wrapping fairy would show up I'd be set.

Xxxxxxxxxx

On Monday Ron, Rachel, Julie and the kids arrived. Tuesday, Ron and Rachel took Julie to Johns Hopkins for tests and some treatments. On Wednesday the Manoso's arrived. They were so excited to see everyone and especially Jordan and Emily who giggled and laughed at everybody. Lester was working on our house, but whenever he came home the babies would start with Dada and hold up their arms for him. He was putty in their hands.

Ella and Maria decided that with the appetites of the guys they would need to roast five thirty pound turkeys so there would be enough for leftovers and turkey sandwiches. They also fixed 2 whole hams with all the side dishes. They baked 20 pies and 4 cakes and made 5 gallons of ice cream.

Julie was being discharged Thanksgiving morning. Les was going to fly the chopper in to pick up Julie, Bobby and Mary, Julie's doctor.

Xxxxxxxxxx

The kids were up early on Thanksgiving. Mary Alice, Ben and Lisa, Ron and Rachel's kids and all the Manoso kids were watching the Macy's Day Parade. Jordan and Emily were in their swings watching Angie who was fixing the middle of the tables with candles, pumpkins, gourds and leaves. Every few minutes she would walk over wind the swings up and give the babies kisses, then she would walk over to us and give us hugs and say thank you.

The helicopter landed on the front lawn and in just a few minutes, Mary, Bobby and Lester carrying Julie piggy back walked into the house. Bobby walked over and hugged Ginny, Maria and Ella and then grabbed one of the decorated cookies and laughed. Ella pretended to scold him but gave it away by laughing. She handed Julie a cookie and stuck a cookie in Lester's mouth. She held the platter out to Mary and when Mary reached to get one we all focused on the beautiful diamond ring she was wearing on her left hand.

Bobby walked over and put his arms around Mary and he said "She said yes."

I hugged Bobby and then I hugged Mary. "I'm so happy for you both and I am happy to have another sister. See Ella, some of the guys are settling down."

After Ella hugged Bobby and Mary she wrapped her arms around me and just said "I love you sweet girl."

Hector came in a lit a fire in the fireplace. The guys were drifting in and out when they decided to have a 'touch' football game which was anything but touch. It was mostly a brawl.

The tables groaned under the weight of the food. The only arguments were over the ten turkey legs and who would get them.

Mary Alice and Ben each grabbed one and said "We're kids we get first dibs" then the rest of the kids grabbed legs and the big "kids" were out of luck.

Jenny and Jesse asked the kids if the wanted to go up to the barn theater and watch a movie. They put on their jackets and left.

There was a lull in the conversation and Julie stood up and looked around at everyone. "I have something I want to say. You are all like my uncles and I need to tell you what is going on with me. It was easier to tell you when we are all together and Dr. Mary is here to answer questions. Grandma and Grandpa and all the rest my family I have Polycystic Kidney disease. It is genetic and it is in my Mom's family. It doesn't usually show up till you are old, but sometimes it shows up when you are young. The doctors in Florida didn't diagnose it because getting it when you are young is really rare.

Because Steph and all of you insisting on bringing me up here and taking me to Johns Hopkins you saved my life." Julie stopped for a moment and looked around at the solemn faces of her family. "I love all of you so much. I have been on medication but the cysts are multiplying and growing rapidly. I know you are going to ask this so I will tell you I am in pain but Bobby and Mary are helping me with that. This past week I had to go on dialysis because my kidneys are failing.. .." she started crying and Rachel and Ron put their arms around her.

Mary stood up and continued to explain the disease to everyone. She answered questions as they were raised. "The bottom line is this dialysis will work but the ideal solution is a kidney transplant." She raised her hand. "If you remember on the weekend of Les and Steph's wedding you all submitted to blood tests for Julie. Some of those tests determined possible donors. There were a few possible matches gleaned from those tests. One donor matches 90% and has consented to the surgery which will take place on Monday morning."

"Whose the donor Mary?" asked Maria Manoso.

"That would be me."


	43. Chapter 43

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 43

It is all hers.

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_**Previously…**_

"Who is the donor Mary?" asked Maria Manoso.

"That would be me."

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I stood up "We are a family, we may not all be of the same blood, but we are a family of the heart. There was never a question that I would do this, there was only a question of making the arrangements to do this. I love all of you and I know you love me, so let's get back to celebrating Thanksgiving." I looked at all my guys and I turned to Ella "Can I have another piece of apple pie with a scoop of cinnamon ice cream."

I was pulled into Lester's arms, "Just one piece Beautiful?"

"Maybe more than one piece we'll see." I turned around in his arms and kissed him. "Thank you,"

"For what?"

"For supporting this decision."

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Lester's POV

If she only knew how hard it was to support what she is going to do. I wish it was me who was the match, it should be me I am part of Julie's family. I've watched Steph for years take all kinds of chances and risk herself, but now it is totally different. She is mine and I am hers, we are one. How in the hell am I going to stand outside that operating room and just wait?

When Bobby called and asked us to meet with him and Mary I thought it was just a friendly get together over dinner. The minute we walked into Bobby's apartment I looked at their faces and my heart sank. Mary sat down and explained that Julie's kidneys were failing and that she was coming up next week to start dialysis. She explained that although this would work for awhile she really needed a transplant to have, even a hope. of a normal life.

Then Mary told us there were 3 close matches, but Steph was the closest. If Steph would consent they would run more tests for antigens and cross matching. Without a second of hesitation Steph said yes and when could we run the tests. Mary said we can go to the hospital after dinner and she could start the tests. It still amazes me that she didn't hesitate.

After dinner we drove to the hospital on the way there she grabbed my hand . Even though I'm scared shitless that I could lose her how could anyone say no to this generous, loving woman - my woman.

The day we got the results Steph was happy. I held her in my arms while the babies napped. She told me how disappointed she was that we were going to put off having our babies for right now but Mary had reassured her having a kidney removed wouldn't affect us having children in the future or her being able to carry them to full term. I wanted Steph to have my babies, but we had the twins and the 3 girls if that didn't happen, I didn't want her to take anymore risks.

Later that night, I was reading about transplants in the book Mary had given us. When I felt a silk scarf fall over my eyes and my Beautiful grabbed my hand and guided me out of our room and took me down in the elevator whispering and telling me how she had a surprise for me. When she took off the scarf she had set up a candlelit surprise with strawberries and slow romantic music on the jukebox. A bottle of fine wine and crystal goblets were waiting. I gathered her in my arms and we danced. I whispered in her ear how much I loved her and just what I was going to do when we went back upstairs. There was knocking on the door. I tried to ignore them but they were insistent. I walked over to the door and started to threaten them, I'm selfish I want time with her now, I want to tell and show her how I feel every minute of every day.

Then Manny says let them in after all I am alone now. I turned around and the candles were out and the music was off. Steph wasn't in the room any more and I was alone. I prayed to God this wasn't an omen of things to come. I couldn't and wouldn't live without her. I ran up the steps and found her crying. She was heartbroken that we couldn't have this one night together without interruption. I held her all night and planned what I was going to say and do to those assholes.

I called Tank and Hector early in the morning and explained that the assholes wouldn't leave us alone and they made Steph cry. I needed them to get them to the training room and for them to keep me from killing them. I told Tank and Hector I would explain my fury in a couple of days, That's all I needed to say. I beat them up and I didn't kill them. I told them to apologize to Steph and then I took off.

I needed to see the future.

I heard them before I saw them. They burst out of the wooded area into the clearing. I stood up and opened my arms and my future was running towards me. She was in my arms and I was never letting her go.

We went away for a couple of days and made decisions. We also had a lot of fun and she proved once again she could take my breath away and I would not be able to focus, She came up with outrageous things to win challenges and the rewards were landing in bed for hours of love. We decided to buy or build a place at Deep Creek. I don't think anyone in the real estate office took us seriously this time. We will have to go back. We were staying focused on the future and our family. Steph is better at that than I am but I'm learning to bask in her dreams.

When we got back we sat down with Ella, Louis, my mom, Skip and Tank and explained the situation. Ella cried, but promised Steph she would do everything Steph wanted. Tank just opened his arms and she sat in his lap. She whispered in his ear what she needed him to do and he nodded, kissed her on the head and then stood up and walked out.

We went and met with Hunter one afternoon. After Beautiful explained what she was going to do he glared at me. "Don't let her do this Santos - we'll find another way - we'll find another donor."

She told him that this was her decision, not his and he could get on board and support it or she would find someone else for the will and setting up trusts for all the children. He took all the information down as she dictated it to him. She must have spent hours thinking about how she wanted things. All I had done in those hours was think about her and how much I loved her. If will, determination and love would keep her safe - then she would be safe.

As the meeting went on with Hunter he became tenser. He was going to do something stupid to release that tension and I didn't want him to say or do something that would spill out onto Steph. So I told him to go "relax" now that we were done. He threw his phone at me which I ducked and it hit the wall and shattered. I saw the breath leave his body and his shoulders slump. Like the gauge on a pressure cooker his tension had been released now he could do his job like Steph wanted.

Beautiful sat down for hours with Beth and they did online Christmas shopping. UPS trucks started rolling in daily. I think the trucks and drivers groaned in relief as the boxes were unloaded.

I loved the nights the most. I held her in my arms and we made sweet love.

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Now I stand here by Beautiful's side, supporting her decision, putting on a confident front for all our family to see and I look at my mother and she knows my secret. It's all an act and for the first time in my life I am scared. My Mom makes her way to me and hugs me.

"Lester, your father would be so proud of how you support Steph. I know it isn't easy but everything is going to be all right - you'll see." I believe her.


	44. Chapter 44

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 44

JE owns

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_**Previously…**_

Now I stand here by Beautiful's side, supporting her decision, putting on a confident front for all our family to see and I look at my mother and she knows my secret. It's all an act and for the first time in my life I am scared.

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Lester's POV

The rest of the day was filled with love and laughter. Steph told everybody that she had arranged a surprise and to be at the house at 8 am tomorrow morning. Bobby and Mary spent hours answering questions. Steph and I took Angie and Mary Alice upstairs and told them what was going to happen. I watched their faces as Steph explained to them why she was going to donate a kidney, first there was fear and then wonder that their aunt would do this. We all laughed when Steph explained how it was going to be done. She lifted her shirt up and said that the doctors were going to put a port in her belly button and send in cameras and tiny instruments and then they would take her kidney for Julie out through this port.

Mary Alice looked at Steph's belly button and said "Cool, while they are doing that can they put in a belly button earring?"

Angie laughed and said, "Don't you mean a belly button ring? One of my friends in Trenton had one it was a Dragonfly another friend had one that was a star. Can I get a belly button ring?"

"No and I'm not getting one either" replied Steph then she looked at me and I grinned and made my eyebrows go up and down and

Steph hit me with a pillow which started a huge pillow fight.

I don't know who is going to get up all the feathers but it wasn't going to be me since I was the one being beaten with the pillows by Steph , Mary Alice and Angie. That night I tried to talk to Steph about a belly button ring and she rolled her eyes and made a comment about where rings could be put on a man's body and I shut up and changed the subject.

Friday morning at 8 am two charter buses pulled in and all of us boarded them. Only Steph and the two drivers knew where we were going. Steph was like a little kid, she was smiling and laughing. Two hours later we pulled into the Maryland State Fairgrounds. The parking lot was packed and families were walking down to the building called the cow palace. We all got off and Steph and the smiling drivers passed out tickets to the Johns Hopkins Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees. Steph also passed out a flyer and envelope explaining that we were going to view 175 decorated 7 ½' trees, 200 decorated 2 foot trees and hundreds of decorated wreaths. In part of the building was an antique carousel and other rides, plus craft making and gingerbread house workshops. There were all kinds of boutiques to shop in and live stage shows. Most importantly Santa was here and she wanted all the children to meet at 1pm to see Santa.

She passed out cameras and then she turned to Ella, Maria, Ginny, Rachel, Janie, Beth and Jessie and Jenny. "The 7 ½ foot trees are all for sale. I want to buy a tree for every house and bungalow but I want to have a fresh tree in the great room at the house for us to decorate. Pick out trees, each of you have a list of the houses you are responsible for and a credit card Make arrangements for delivery. If there are any problems just call me on your cell phones. Now everyone have a good time."

We walked down the toward the cow palace pushing the twin's stroller I wrapped my arm around her and we pushed the stroller into the biggest Christmas wonderland you have every seen. The guys started taking pictures of all the kids, Julie who was in a wheelchair had the biggest smile on her face. Bobby and Mary stayed near Julie the whole time we were there.

Jordan loved the carousel and squealed the whole time I held him on the horse. Emily just looked around and smiled. We got off the carousel and Skip and Ginny watched the babies while I took Steph back on. I lifted her on a horse and wrapped my arm around her waist. "Do you realized the memories you are making for everyone today Beautiful?" she replied "Our memories Handsome and memories especially for Julie."

We all walked over to the pony pen where Mary Alice was watching the ponies with Woody. Angie was trying to get Lisa off of Tank's shoulders to take a ride but all Lisa did was shake her head no. Ben pulled his Dad and Janie over to the NASCAR driver and race car.

At 1 pm we all met to see Santa Claus. Steph talked to Santa as he came back from lunch and I saw her hand him something. After all the kids saw Santa I saw him give something to one of the elves and the elf handed something to Steph who handed her an envelope and said thank you.

On Saturday the girls therapist came and talked to them and afterward we all sat around and discussed how the girls were doing. Steph wanted to schedule an extra session for them while she was in the hospital. The therapist brought out some drawings Lisa had done and we were looking at them. Stacey, the therapist, said she was puzzled by them and couldn't begin to interpret them. Every one of the drawings had a dark brown circle in them or a half circle.

We were all looking at the drawings when Ben came in with Lisa for a cookie. He climbed up took the top off of Steph' s bear cookie jar and handed Lisa one and took one for himself. He got down grabbed Lisa's hand and walked over to the table and said to Lisa, "These are so cool Lisa you got the right color brown for Tank's head." then they walked out. We all looked at each other and started to laugh since Lisa spent most of her time on Tank's shoulders she had drawn a birds eye view of Lisa's world looking past Tank's very bald, shiny head. Steph is having one framed for Tank for Christmas.

I was listening to the women planning Christmas and it appears the Manoso family will be back for Christmas. Skip walked in with the guys and suggested that we have a goose for Christmas dinner, Steph wondered where you would buy a goose. I was frantically waving off this discussion to Skip and the guys. We lived on the eastern shore and there were hundreds of Canadian geese on our property every day -I knew where the geese would be coming from but my tenderhearted wife didn't need to know. We had to raise the beef we ate on a neighbor's farm. Steph had named the first two cows the guys had brought home. You just can't sit down to dinner knowing it was Penny and Petunia you were eating for dinner.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Sunday afternoon Steph and Julie were admitted to the hospital for surgery the next morning. Bobby had taken a leave of absence to be with Steph and Julie during their surgeries and recovery at home. Mary was doing the removal of Steph's kidney and Julie's surgery. Everything was fine, I was filling out insurance forms when I heard Steph yelling. I ran down the hallway with Tank and Hector and ran into Steph's room. Steph was standing on her bed yelling "No" her hair was wild and she had her hands behind her back. Bobby was trying to calm her down.

I ran to her bed and she threw herself into my arms sobbing.

"What the hell is going on Bobby"

"I don't know."

"Beautiful, tell me why you are so upset."

"They want to take off my wedding ring, when you put it on my finger it was forever Les. I can't take it off."

"It's hospital policy Mrs. Santos."

Mary walked in and asked, "Steph, what's wrong have you changed your mind?"

"No, I still want Julie to have my kidney, but I can't take my wedding ring off, I just can't."

"Okay, we'll come up with a solution."

"Doctor, it is hospital policy…."

"Nurse, screw hospital policy. This woman is giving up a kidney and she sure is hell going to keep her wedding ring on. Steph, I'll be back in a minute."

Mary walked back in took a string looped it around Steph's ring and tied the other end around her wrist then she wrapped her hand in gauze and proceeded to cast Steph's finger, hand and wrist. She turned around to the nurse and said "There is no rule about a casted hand." she turned to Steph and winked "See you in a few minutes now give this gorgeous wife of yours a mind blowing kiss and tell her you'll see her soon."

She didn't have to tell me a second time to kiss my wife. I held her hand as they wheeled her to the operating room. They stopped the gurney and I bent down and kissed her and told her I'd be waiting and then they wheeled my heart and soul through the double doors.

a/n Please go to google and put in Kennedy Krieger Festival of Trees - go to shopping and hit the video button. This is a wonderful event and the proceeds go to help children with severe needs.


	45. Chapter 45

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 45

JE Owns

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_**Previously…**_

She didn't have to tell me a second time to kiss my wife. I held her hand as they wheeled her to the operating room. They stopped the gurney and I bent down and kissed her and told her I'd be waiting and then they wheeled my heart and soul through the double doors.

Xxxxxxxxxx

Les kissed me and told me he would be waiting for me. I know he is scared for me, but he never said anything except that he supported me. I've never had anyone in my life ever who gave me 100% support. Oh, they've said they supported me, but it was a lie. They would mouth the words and then do whatever they felt was in my best interest. Les has never done that to me. He may not always agree, he will give me his advice and then support me.

I made him promise me that if something happened he would do everything in his power to keep the girls. He told me he was angry at me for even asking him that when he loved them like they were his own. He has the biggest heart, I think if it were up to him we would have dozens of kids. I look at him and if I could, I would give them to him. I want his green eyed babies, with crooked grins and dimples and he says all he wants is a curly haired blue eyed little girl. I'm so grateful that I will be able to have children after donating a kidney.

Uh Oh! Here is the embarrassing part -scooting over from the gurney to the operating table. Yup, just flashed the whole operating room. Bobby winked at me and laughed if they weren't restraining me on this table I would smack him a good one. I think I said that out loud.

"Is that anyway to talk to me Bomber - you're going to smack me a good one."

The anesthesiologist looked up and said "Bomber?"

I groaned "Bobby if you're going to tell the story wait till I'm knocked out. Which by the way, I have a question to ask?

"What's that Steph?" asked Mary.

"I want to know if anyone here in this operating room had a fight with their girlfriend, boyfriend or spouse or got a ticket on the way to work? Because if you did I'm out of here."

"Hell no honey, we are all fine and if we weren't those big, handsome guys in the waiting room would have us treating you right anyway." laughed one of the nurses. "Are any of them available?"

"Dr. Brown worked with all those guys, have him make some introductions. They need girlfriends."

"Steph, I am not playing matchmaker. I think it's almost time to say goodnight Steph."

"Bobby, tell Les I love him and that I went to sleep knowing how much he loves me…."

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Bobby's POV

In all the years I have known Bomber she still surprises me with the amount of love she has for everyone. I look back on the last couple of years and all that she has been through and she amazes me. I knew Les loved her for years but was willing to step aside for her happiness. When Ranger fucked up and slept with Jenny who would have guessed that Steph would start a whole new life with Les and they would adopt Jenny's babies, now they are raising Steph's nieces. Here she is laying on this operating room table and donating a kidney to Ranger's daughter, she's friends with Ranger's ex wife, has the girl he betrayed her with living in her home and is sending her to college and treats all the Manosos like family and invites them for every holiday.

Steph has befriended my fiancé Mary. She and Les told us about their conversation with her nieces and the belly button ring. Mary is telling the story while she is putting in the port. Mary is now concentrating on getting in the instruments to the right location.

I had to laugh when Steph made me promise to check and make sure they didn't administer the drug that she had a reaction to the last time. I think Les was disappointed because that's how he found out she loved him and wanted his green eyed babies. If Les hadn't made training fun for her we would have lost her in that kidnapping attempt. Well, look who just walked in the operating room - our own Dr. Tom.

"Hey Tom, this is a kidney donation. What's a plastic surgeon doing here? "

"I'm just checking up on Ben's Beautiful. How's she doing?"

"Things are progressing well. Did you see Les?"

"Yes, he's looking out a window and isn't answering anybody. It's like he is not even there. Tank and Ginny and John are right by him in case he needs them. Janie is with Jesse and Jenny taking care of the kids.

Mary looks up and tells one of the operating room technicians to call over to start removing Julie's kidneys.

The anesthesiologist looks up and tells Mary that Steph's blood pressure is rising.

Both Tom and I tense and watch the monitors. I lean down and whisper in Steph's ear. "You can do this Bomber just be steady and think of Les wrapping his arms around you. Think how much he loves you."

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Lester's POV

Could the time go any slower, every second is an eternity. I'm standing looking out the window, but I'm not seeing anything I know my mother, brother and Tank are close by. The only person I want is my Love. I think of all the ways she shows me she loves me, the way she smiles her sleepy smile in the morning and reaches up and touches my face with her fingertips. The way she fixes my coffee in the morning and at night she brings me up a piece of pie or cake which of course she insists we share. She writes little tiny notes and slips them in my wallet. I hear her whispering at night when she thinks I'm asleep how much she loves me. I love you beautiful, feel my arms wrapped around you, I'll hold you and love you forever.

I think back to our surprise wedding, everyone was having a good time at the party till we announced that it was our surprise on their faces was great. When I looked at your face and into your eyes when we said our vows it took my breath away.

I love you so much, do you feel my arms around you holding you close surrounding and protecting you with my love?

I feel a chill go through me, I love you beautiful, I love you, feel my arms around you holding you, protecting you. I will love you forever Beautiful. Forever…


	46. Chapter 46

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 46

JE owns, she earns oodles, I earn none.

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_**Previously…**_

I feel a chill go through me, I love you beautiful, I love you, feel my arms around you holding you, protecting you. I will love you forever Beautiful. Forever…

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Lester's POV

For a moment there was this emptiness, a cold chill went through me. I closed my eyes and concentrated, my arms are holding you, I am holding on to you with everything I have, you will not leave me behind. I need you to be able to breath, stay with me Beautiful Stay with me. Please dear God, Stephanie don't leave me behind Please come back. I look at the clock and it is 10:16 am.

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Bobby's POV

What the hell just happened? Everything was going like clockwork, then Steph's blood pressure starts going up, her heartbeat starts to get erratic, then she flat lines and before we can do anything she back and everything is perfect. I look at the clock and it is 10:16 am.

"What in the hell was that?" Mary yells at the anesthesiologist.

"I don't know I have never seen that before, maybe is was a problem with the monitors. How in the hell do you explain it Mary."

"I don't know but I'm glad we are almost done here."

God, Bomber can't anything be easy with you or do you have to keep us all on our toes? You are the heart of us all but most especially Les. I am only half beginning to understand how he feels about you since I met Mary. I bend down and whisper in her ear. Les loves you, we all love you, now behave and you will see Les soon. Her monitor beeps twice and goes back to normal. I know in my heart she heard me.

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Lester's POV

I feel Tank's hand on my shoulder, "Bobby's coming Les." I turn away from the window to face Bobby.

Bobby stops in front of me and tells me that everything went well and Steph will be in recovery soon.

I look at Bobby and said "You are lying." Tank sucks in his breath and claps a hand on my shoulder.

Bobby straightens up and says "I have never lied to you Les."

"Then explain to me what happened in that operating room at 10:16 am!" I yelled at him.

"We don't know what happened, Steph's blood pressure went up, her heart was erratic and then the monitor malfunctioned and it looked like she flat lined for a second but then the monitor went back to normal and she was fine."

"SHE WASN'T FINE - SHE STARTED TO LEAVE ME! She died I felt her slipping away and I begged her not to leave me." I turned away and faced the window again.

Bobby walked up behind me "How did you know that happened at 10:16 am?

"Because she is my soul mate."

"When it happened Les, I bent down and whispered in her ear how much we loved her but most especially how much you love her. I told her to behave and if she did she would see you sooner now come with me to recovery so you can see for yourself she is okay."

I followed him to the recovery room I knew Bobby was breaking the rules by letting me in there. I stood looking down at my love and thanked God for letting her stay with me. I promised to devote my life to my love and our children, our nieces and our extended family for giving me this second chance.

Julie's surgery went well and she was in intensive care. Ron and Rachel and everyone were celebrating quietly with coffee and cake from the cheesecake factory that I had delivered. I had boxes of candy delivered for the staff from a local chocolatier. Tonight dinner was being delivered.

Steph was moved to her room which I had converted to a tropical paradise. There were vases of birds of paradise, ginger, and every kind of orchid that could be found in the Baltimore area. I had one florist flying in some more orchids tomorrow. Steph was still sleeping and I was sitting by her bed holding her hand waiting to look in to those beautiful blue eyes.

Bobby was constantly coming in and checking Steph, the nurses came in and out, but still she slept. Mary came and examined her, gave me a hug and said she would wake up soon.

I leaned closer to the bed and started talking to her. I told her I loved her and how much I needed her. Then I started telling her about when I was growing up and the trouble John and I had caused our parents. I told her I would be on to Jordan and Emily because there wasn't much I hadn't done and they couldn't fool me. I told her how much trouble I had caused in school especially for the French teacher. I had made his life a living hell. When Janie had gotten into high school she wanted to take French. He had read the role for the class reached Janie's name, looked up and said "Lester's sister?" Janie had said yes and he kicked her out of class and sent her to the principal's office. Janie was switched to Spanish which was ridiculous because this was our second language. Janie didn't talk to me for weeks. I thought I spied a little smile on Steph's face.

I told her how my Dad had bought a '65 Mustang coupe and his plans to restore it with John and I. We spent weeks taking the car apart, each and every part meticulously labeled and stored. We took the original windshield and my Dad wrapped it and suspended it from the garage ceiling so it wouldn't break. John and I were playing Lacrosse up by the house which was forbidden when I launched a ball at John's head for his comment on my current girlfriend's new braces. I hit the windshield and it shattered. It was the longest afternoon of my life waiting for my Dad to get home. I met him in the driveway when he got home and asked him to follow me. I pointed to the frame of the windshield and the buckets of broken glass. I explained exactly what had happened. I thought for sure I would be grounded for months. My Dad just looked at me and at the windshield.

"Well, you owned up to it like a man Lester that's all a father can ask of his son. However, you will be paying for a new windshield, I'll take payments out of your allowance." There it was another smile.

I decided I would sing to her. I bent down and kissed her lips and started singing the Trisha Yearwood's song that she had sang to me at our wedding The Nightingale. I watched as her lips started moving to the words of the song….But a nightingale followed me back home and my love was waiting there for me…she opened those gorgeous blue eyes and smiled at me. My love was waiting here for me.


	47. Chapter 47

A New Kind of Someday

Chapter 46

JE created. I borrow

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Previously…**_

I decided I would sing to her. I bent down and kissed her lips and started singing the Trisha Yearwood's song that she had sung to me at our wedding The Nightingale. I watched as her lips started moving to the words of the song….But a nightingale followed me back home and my love was waiting there for me…she opened those gorgeous blue eyes and smiled at me. My love was waiting here for me.

Xxxxxxxxxx

At 7 pm Mary and Bobby came in my room and told me to get my 'lazy ass' out of bed and take a walk. I was a little nervous, but knew this was a good sign. Lester had been on edge all afternoon hovering over me. He kept asking Mary if this was a good idea.

She finally said she knew what she was doing and to let "his woman" get up so she could go home tomorrow or the next day. I practically jumped out of bed, well as fast as a 90 year old woman would jump out of bed that is.

I started off slow with Lester's arm around me. We walked down to the waiting room where Lester had the caterers. I said hello to everyone and then we started back to the room. I was leaning into Les and I was exhausted. Les was getting quieter and quieter.

"Les what is wrong with you?"

"Nothing, Beautiful."

"Is something wrong at home? Is it the babies? Did something happen to Jordan or Emily or the girls? Les you're scaring me!"

"Everything is fine Beautiful, this has been a long day."

"Something is wrong and you are going to tell me right now, Is Julie alright? Is it me, is something wrong with me, did you realize today that this is to much that you can't handle all this stress and drama?" I started crying.

"God no Beautiful I don't know how it is possible but I love you more! I almost lost you today, for a few brief seconds you started to leave me."

"I felt it too Les, I was being pulled away and it was so cold. I thought about you and I needed your arms around me and suddenly I felt them around me holding me to you. I heard you say don't leave me and you told me how much you loved me. Les, I don't know what happened, but I know I will never leave you. We have to make plans for our future. I'm talking to Mary about the timing for those green eyed babies ."

"Don't forget the curly haired, blue eyed little girl, we are not stopping till I get her." laughed Lester. "It's going to be work, work, work till I get that little girl."

"Your nuts Les, you already have Emily who adores you and 3 nieces who can't get close enough, one little boy who already is developing a crooked smile. How many kids are you talking about?" I said laughing.

"No Limit Beautiful." as he helped me into bed and climbed in with me and put his arms around me, "No Limit."

Xxxxxxxxxxx

Almost 2 ½ years later…

The twins were 3 years old and they were a handful. We had been picking blackberries and Jordan ate more than he picked. Emily just danced around and chased butterflies. We were taking the berries to the kitchen when Jordan grabbed a partially filled bucket and ran into the reception area with me on his heels laughing at his antics when he stopped short and looked up and I grabbed him and swung him in the air and then I saw him. I looked at Jessie and I saw her reach nonchalantly under the desk and hit the panic button.

"Babe!"

"Don't call me that!"

I heard a ripping noise and in ran Nix, Trouble and Job and they got between me and Ranger growling and barking.

Emily pushed her baby carriage into the room and looked up "Puppies bad Mommy they broke the door again."

I put Jordan down and said to Jessie "Take Emily and Jordan and get them some cookies and milk and call Tom and Janie and tell them to keep the twins for awhile longer. My phone rang and it was Lester.

"Are you okay Beautiful?"

"We have an unexpected guest."

"Is it Ranger?"

"Yes"

"Are you and the kids alright?"

"Yes, NO! Jordan put that away!"

"Is he alright?"

"He just pulled his concealed black glock water pistol out of the back of his pants! Who taught him that! I hid that water pistol."

"That's my boy, protecting his Mommy."

"Well, you would be so proud because Emily just pulled her AK47 water soaker out of her baby carriage and is standing right by his side. Tonight we are having a long talk on what is being taught to the children."

"I'll be landing in 5. Anyone there yet?"

"They will be arriving anytime now."

"Can you get to the panic room?"

"Not me, but I will try to send the kids with Jessie. Jessie can you take Bonnie and Clyde to get some cookies and then go to the TV room"

Jessie knew when I said TV room it was a key word for Panic Room. My main focus was to get her and the kids to a safe place.

Ranger pulled his glock and said "Steph it is time for us to have a long overdue talk."

"You are an idiot Ranger" yelled Julie from the landing on the staircase.

"Julie?"

"Julie, I want you to go lay back down the doctors will be here shortly."

"I can't do that Steph."

"Julie, have you been sick? Why wouldn't you call me?"

While Ranger was distracted Hector had come up silently and put his weapon next to Ranger's ear. "Put down your weapon asshole. I only tell you this because of Steph and the children, if it was up to me I would disable you and take great pleasure in seeing you suffer before I slit your throat. Jesse take Jordan and Emily to the TV room."

Within minutes guys filed in from front and back and the chopper landed on the front lawn. Lester jumped out with Hal, Bobby and Mary. Lester ran straight for me "Where are Jordan and Emily and the twins?"

"Jessie has Jordan and Emily in the TV room and the twins are with Janie, Tom and Ben."

Lester wrapped his arms around me and asked me how I was.

"I'm fine. Ranger was saying that our talk is long overdue."

I turned in Lester's arms and faced Ric. Lester put his arms around me and placed his hand over mine that was sheltering the slight baby bump. I looked up at him and smiled "We're fine"

"Shit Steph twins and now another baby…where is the woman who wanted no children."

Tank grabbed Ric, Hal and Cal grabbed Hector, and Julie screamed...

"You Asshole! How dare you! Didn't you look at those babies! They are the babies you ordered Jenny to kill in an abortion and when she wouldn't you made her sign papers that absolved you of any responsibility financial or otherwise. Do want to know how I recognized Jenny when I saw her on the street. You, unintentionally sent me pictures of you and her in my email. She was 6 years older than me Ranger when you seduced her and took away her innocence, you got her pregnant and abandoned her with no money and when she went home her parents kicked her out. She was starving and eating out of garbage cans. Those babies you wanted to kill were my brother and sister! I was sick and Steph flew down to see me. She recognized her too. Jenny told her the whole story and apologized over and over. Do you know what Steph did? She put her on the plane and brought her here and took her to the best high risk doctor for the rest of her pregnancy. She gave her a home like she does to everyone she meets. She's putting Jenny through college and Jenny will have a new start at a new life. She adopted the twins - your throwaways - she and Les started a family and now she is having another baby with her husband!"

"What do you have Ranger ?- NOTHING! You threw away - Steph, your family and your friends and ME, your twins and the future of an innocent girl! For WHAT!" by this time Julie was trembling with anger.

"Julie, go lay back down and Mary and Bobby will come up and check you out. Please do this for me Julie."

"Steph, I'll do what you want me to do but it's just a slight temperature." she turned around and went back to her room.

"Excuse me a minute, Mary, Bobby can you join me in the kitchen for a few minutes. I know I'm being a worry wart but she has been listless and now she has a fever and I just want her to be checked out."

"Bomber, it isn't a problem besides, that means we get a great chopper ride and a gorgeous weekend at a fabulous B&B. How are you feeling?"

"Everything is wonderful except I have to have a talk with Ranger and then with the guys on what exactly they are teaching the twins." I said.

"Good luck with that. Steph, now that Bobby found out we are having a boy he wants to live here so we have access to the guys and their expertise."

"You know I want you to move here, you can commute with Hunter back and forth each day in the chopper. Your house is ready and waiting for you to decorate and furnish. I really would like it if you did. You, Jessie and I are all due within 2 months of each other, it would be fun. Together we may be able to take control of the children."

"What did they do Bomber?"

"Jordan pulled his concealed water pistol glock on Ranger and Emily pulled her AK47 water soaker out of her baby carriage. In spite of the fact that I was scared of Ranger, I was absolutely mortified and Lester thought it was funny when I told him."

"He did laugh, but he was so filled with anger I'm glad we were only 5 minutes out. Bomber, what do you think Ranger is going to do?"

"Besides making my life miserable…I don't know. I know I'm worried about Hector, he is so filled with anger I thought he was going to kill Ranger before everyone got here."

"He's not the only one."

"Go up and look at Julie please. I'm not calling Rachel till you tell me what is going on. Take the elevator that keeps you out of sight and it will be easier on you Mary."

I walked back into the formal dining room where they had escorted Ranger.

I sat down and just stared at him. After the last 3 ½ years I had led myself to believe that I wouldn't ever have to see him again.

All of a sudden we heard the squeals of the twins running through the kitchen, each arrived with a cookie in each hand and Jordan jumped up into his Daddy's lap and Emily held her little arms up to be picked up.

"Hey, Jordan how's my boy? You and Emily have been picking Blackberries what else have you been doing this morning?"

Jordan turned around and looked at Ranger, put his cookies down and pulled his concealed water pistol out and said "Protecting Mommy from Asshole."

I glared at all the guys, challenging just one of them to laugh, Lester was biting his lips but his eyes were doing enough laughing to having me clamping down on my urge to laugh, but one of us had to play bad parent and it sure wasn't going to be Les.

"Jordan! Where did you hear that, you are going to have to take a time out in the time out chair, I never want to hear you use that language again."

"Unka Tank sit with me"

"Why does Uncle Tank have to sit with you?"

"Unka Tank teached me Asshole."

"Apologize to Ranger"

"NO"

"Are you telling me no Jordan Mateo Santos?"

"He had real gun on my Mommy." he started crying

Lester put Jordan in my arms and then he attacked Ranger. I have never seen the murderous rage that crossed Lester's face before. Jessie and Vince grabbed the kids and rushed out of the room so they couldn't see this.

Nobody tried to stop Lester, they just stood there while I screamed and tried to stop them when I felt arms go around me and hold me back. Hector whispered in my ear "'Angel, let Les be a man and take care of the asshole that pulled a gun on his wife in front of his children . This has been years in the making. Lester has the right to do this. We may stop him from killing him and maybe we won't, we all love you Angel and he has hurt you enough this is the final hurt."

Bobby came into the room glanced at Les beating the shit out of Ranger "What set Lester off?" he asked calmly.

"Jordan told us that the reason he pulled his concealed weapon was because Ranger pulled his glock on Steph." Cal said.

"If there is anything left of Ranger when Lester gets through with him do we all get turns?"

I saw Ranger pull a knife from his boot the last thing I remember was screaming "NO" and then things went black.

I woke up in my bed with Lester holding me his hands gently rubbing my baby bump.

"Mary, is Steph okay? Is the baby okay? God, I'll never forgive myself if anything happens to her or the baby."

"Les, it's okay, she's going to be fine her blood pressure is up a little but I'd be surprised if it weren't after she saw Ranger pull that knife."

"She is going to kill me for losing my temper in front of the kids. I just lost it when I thought about my little boy seeing a gun pulled on his mother and he felt the responsibility to protect her with his water gun. I couldn't believe he called Ranger an asshole and he knew what it meant. If I weren't so angry at myself I'd be busting my buttons over my little guy."

"Les"

"Oh Beautiful I'm so sorry"

"Lester - shut up and kiss me"

…and he did…

"are you hurt Les?"

"Just a couple of bruises. Tank broke Ranger's wrist while he was taking the knife away. Bobby is setting it."

" I want to get up. I have to see the twins. I have to tell Jordan I'm not mad at him."

"You'll have to wait. He and Tank have been sentenced to the time out chairs."

"Who sentenced them!"

"Jordan, He pushed a big chair next to his time out chair grabbed Tank's hand and made him sit down. Then he handed Grandma Ella the timer."

"Lester he is only 3 years old."

"He a brave little boy standing up for his Mommy I am as proud of him as I can be. He already knows he should protect the ones he loves Beautiful how can I not be proud."

"Oh my God Mary, how is Julie?"

"She is getting a cold. Now you need to come down and get some good food in you. Ella and Les's Mom have been cooking up a storm."

"I'll leave you two alone for a few minutes. Lester behave yourself and I will expect you down in a few minutes. Oh right, you are probably just like Bobby and behaving is not in your vocabulary which is why we are both pregnant." Mary walked out of our room laughing.

"I love you Beautiful, I was afraid I might lose you today."

"You'll never lose me Les." He then started kissing me and we lost track of time. I got up and took a shower and got dressed. Les had his arm over my shoulder and we walked into the great room laughing Tank looked up and groaned at us, Bobby walked over bumped knuckles with Les and kissed my hair "Your man looks very happy and you are glowing" Ben raced over holding Emily's hand.

"Daddy! Emily has a booboo and it's hurting her!" yelled Jordan. Les scooped them both up and sat down with them and Jordan showed him the splinter in Emily's finger. Of course, Emily started to cry once she had her Daddy's attention.

My big, strong, brave husband turned white and yelled for Bobby.

Les comforted Emily while Bobby removed the ¼" splinter and put an Ernie band aid on and I comforted Emily's Daddy. The big softie can't stand to see the kids hurt in any way, when Jordan needed stitches I thought we would have to sedate Les.

Les kissed Emily and Jordan and put them down and he pulled me on his lap and kissed me. Tom and Janie walked in and handed Les and I our twin boys Jason and Jack age 6 months. There was no denying who was their father. They had spikey sun kissed hair, green eyes, dimples and crooked smiles.

We had forgotten that Ranger was there when Ranger said to Les and I

"I want to be part of my children's life."

"That's up to Julie, Rachel and Ron." replied Les.

"No, I mean the twins."

"They are not your children Ranger they are Steph's and my children."

"No, I am their father and you adopted them."

Ella came over and asked Jordan and Emily if they wanted to go swimming with Uncle Hal. Hal took their hands and led them out to the pool to get them away. Ella and Louis came back and sat at the table with us. Hector and Hunter took a chairs also joining Skip, Jim and Ginny.

Les's voice became low and lethal. "Listen to me asshole, when Jenny was 3 weeks pregnant you ordered that she have an abortion and kill the babies.

When she wouldn't, you made her sign papers absolving you of any responsibility financial or otherwise. I am their father! I went to every prenatal appointment, I went to birthing classes. Steph and I were with Jenny for the thirty hours she was in labor. We were in the delivery room and I was the first to hold them after I cut their cords and handed them to Steph. We sat up night after night and rocked and soothed them when they had colic, croup and teethed. You would have killed those children so don't you fucking try to claim any rights as their father. Now I want you to leave. I never want you to step foot on this property again."

"What are you doing here Ricardo!" asked Maria Manoso

"Mama?"

"You have no business being here. Leave"

"What are you and Papa doing here?"

"Not that it is any business of yours but we are visiting Ella and Louis for their anniversary and the rest of the family will be here in a minute."

A few minutes later his brother Rafe and Beth, and his sisters, husbands and nieces and nephews walked in.

Jordan and Emily ran in and Jordan fell and I stood up from Lester's lap and bent over to pick up Jordan and comfort him.

Julie walked in and bent over to kiss Jordan, and you could see the large scar that stretched across her abdomen.

"My God Julie, where did you get that scar, why weren't you being protected?"

"I have this scar because, I went into kidney failure and needed a transplant. I was put on a donor list but the chances of getting a match were slim. Everyone except you and the twins, in this room were tested. There was only one matching the criteria and that was Steph. She and Lester put their life on hold and the surgery took place and it took 8 weeks for Steph to recover and 6 months to try to have a baby they wanted. She was willing to risk her life to save mine. Mary, Bobby's wife, was my surgeon and did the transplant. That's how they met. Bobby took a leave of absence to take care of Steph and I. Steph even put in an elevator so we weren't stuck upstairs. Any time I needed to see Mary and go to the hospital Lester flew us in the helicopter so that the trip wasn't so long for me. Without Steph I would have died….she was supposed to be my stepmother instead she gave me my life back and became my best friend.

"Why didn't you ask me to be tested Julie?"

Mary answered "Ranger, Bobby knew that on one of your missions you had damage to your kidneys. Even if you had been a perfect match we would not have done the transplant with you as a donor."

"I wouldn't have asked you anyway." said Julie

"Julie, I would have asked your father, I wouldn't have let you die from stubbornness." said Mary.

"Ranger, I think it is time for our talk." I looked at my family and friends and my wonderful husband and said "Please excuse us."

Lester stood up and handed Jack and Jason to Ella and Louis. "Beautiful, I am going to be there for this talk."

The three of us walked into the Bed and Breakfast's formal living room.

"Steph, I am sorry for all the hurt I caused, but I think we could still have some thing between us. I made mistakes, I was selfish but I love you and I think we could still work things out. You could get a divorce from Santos and I would be willing to adopt your childr…"

I punched Ranger in the face, knocked him unconscious and I think I broke my hand in the process. The arrogant bastard still did not get the fact that he was in the wrong. On one hand he apologized and then grabbed it back and made it sound like he would forgive me, marry me and adopt Les and my children. I was standing looking down at him when he groaned and pulled himself up to a sitting position.

"Ranger, I forgive you for all the hurt you have caused me, without it I would never have realized that Les and I are soul mates, we wouldn't have this wonderful life surrounded by our family. We wouldn't have Jordan and Emily, Jason and Jack and the little one that will be born in 6 months. I however, will never forget the lies and deceit. I want you to leave and I never want you to come to our home again. Go back to Miami or Trenton or Boston I don't care where you go. The guys will escort you off the property. I hope you find whatever it is that makes you happy, but it isn't here.

I turned into Lester's arms. "I think Bobby better look at that hand Beautiful. Do I get to tell Jordan and Emily how you took out the bad guy?" said Lester laughing.

"I love you Lester Santos, I will love you forever."

"Forever and ever Beautiful."

xxxxxxxxxx

Susan's note:

I want to thank everyone who joined me in the telling of Stephanie' story. I wish for you love, laughter, strength, independence and a soul mate.

Watch for the epilogue.


	48. Chapter 48

A New Kind of Someday

Epilogue

Through the generosity of JE sharing I was able to write this story

**To all my friends,**

**It's been a great ride of twists and turns and surprises.**

**Thank you for all your support, suggestions and reviews.**

**My goal was to write a story where Steph became strong and independent, who would have believed that through writing this story so many people would be affected by it, myself included. I've told many of you that it is hard for me to part with this story and say goodbye. There is a rumor that I am keeping Lester. It is true. lol**

**I've lived with these characters for over five months, some we knew and some were new. Ben grabbed all our hearts and when I introduced him I never conceived that he would elbow his way into the story and our hearts. He was just supposed to be a line or two in a chapter. I'm writing this epilogue twenty years in the future I hope you enjoy it.**

**Susan**

Xxxxxxxxxx

_**Twenty years later….**_

"Kids in the House"

I had Beautiful pinned up against the wall and I was kissing her when the thundering herd of our children entered the house.

"Dad! We gave the signal!" yelled Jack.

"Yes, Jack you did, but you have to give us a few minutes before you race up the steps."

"Mom, just don't let Dad give us 'Your Mom has something in her eye' or the 'I'm just checking your Mom for proper breathing techniques' or my personal favorite this time of year, 'It isn't Santa Claus kissing Mommy it is Santos kissing Mommy." We haven't believed those excuses for years. We all know Dad has the hots for you and can't keep his hands off you, that's why there are so many of us."

"JACK!"

"Well it's the truth Mom, even at your age you're hot, all our friends think so."

"Les, talk to your sons."

"Beautiful, I have to agree with them - you're hot!"

"You're hopeless!"

"I am." laughed Les.

Jason started sparring with his Dad, then Jack joined in. Tom walked in threw down his duffle bag and joined in the melee.

Jordan put Tom in a headlock and the free for all started.

"Watch the lamps!" I yelled as I walked down the steps shaking my head. It was going to be a wonderful Christmas all our kids were home. Jordan, 23 had graduated at the top of his class at the Naval Academy was an officer in the SEALS. Emily had taken vacation from her job as an FBI profiler. Angie, lived in one of the bungalows. She had come up through the ranks at Skip's publishing company and was now CEO. Mary Alice was a Vet and worked with Jim. Her specialty, to no ones surprise, was horses. Lisa was an artist and taught classes at the Maryland Institute of Art. Tank still proudly displays his framed drawing in his home with June and their 3 kids.

Jack and Jason are home from college. Jack goes to MIT and Jason is going to Harvard. It's hard to believe they are 20. Tom is 19 and he attends Johns Hopkins. Cooper and Ian are 16 and are going to Loyola High School and finally Jocelyn age 12. Lester's princess His curly haired blue eyed little girl. The boys were all the spitting image of Les. They ranged in height from 6'4" to 6'7" they all had sun kissed spiky hair, green eyes and dimples with a crooked grin. They have left a trail of broken hearted girls in their wake. With all these brothers Jocelyn has a snowball's chance of ever having a boyfriend excluding the guy's sons. We had had a rash of wedding and births at our happy complex. I personally think Jocelyn will end up with Bobby and Mary's youngest son Caleb. He's 14 and is very protective of Jocelyn. There is this connection that I recognize between them and Les ignores, after all she is Daddy's little girl.

"Where is Emily? And I haven't seen Ben." Jack, Jason, Cooper and Ian kind of slipped away and I nabbed Tom.

"Where is Emily, Tom?"

He mumbled and tried to get away but I grabbed his shirt and I yelled for the others to come out of hiding and act like men.

They came together to the kitchen as if coming in as a group would stop them from my inquisition. Les walked up and put his arms around me.

"Don't think you are going to distract me Lester Santos, I know you are in on this. Who wants to fill me in on where Emily is?" I stared at Tom who is the weakest link in the platinum chain of Santos males. Tom wouldn't look me in the eye.

"Thomas, Spill it!"

"Stay the course man, don't give up your position." said Jordan.

"Don't look into her eyes Tom." said Jason.

"Put up a brick wall and don't let her in." said Cooper who had recently watched the orginal film of the Village of the Damned.

I watched Tom start to crumble when Jocelyn and Caleb walked in and Jocelyn said, "Why are Emily and Ben locked in the pool house? Emily is yelling and throwing things and apparently Ben is yelling back."

Ben is yelling at Emily? That would never happen. Jason whipped out an old baby monitor and turned it on.

"Why shouldn't I date Stacy, you're the one who told me to date, that you were sick of seeing me hang around and spoil your fun!"

There was loud crash and the sound of glass breaking. "You've been spoiling my fun and dates since I was fourteen. I was never so embarrassed when you pulled me from Zack's car and threw me over your shoulder and brought me home." screamed Emily.

"It was for your own good, he was seventeen and he wanted to get in your pants."

"We were talking about our science project."

"You are still sticking to that feeble story after all these years Emily?"

Another crash of glass breaking "Quit it! I don't know what you're so mad about. All I said was I wasn't going to be home for Christmas that I was going with Stacy to meet Stacy's parents."

Another crash. "I hope your parents are planning on redecorating Emily - why are you so mad?"

"You have to be here for Christmas, you are always here for Christmas!"

"Not this year, I'm doing what you want me to do. I'm moving on. I've waited for you since I was six years old. I waited till you were eighteen and I wouldn't be accused of dating jail bait. You wanted to go away to college. I waited till you graduated from college. You wanted a career. Six months ago you said move on Ben so I did what the hell is wrong with you! Stop throwing things dammit that book hurt."

"You're a plastic surgeon now you can fix it!" sobbed Emily.

"Why are you crying Gorgeous?" Ben asked softly.

I took the monitor from Jason and turned it off. "Who locked them in the pool house?"

"Jack and Jason grabbed Ben and handcuffed him in the pool house. Jordan and Ian grabbed Emily and handcuffed her to Ben.

We knew it would only be minutes before they got out of the handcuffs thanks to Dad teaching us that art"

I looked at Les and he smiled. "It's a good talent for them to have, they learned their lessons well."

"I suppose you provided this old baby monitor for them to have too?"

"It is an old Santo's motto, don't throw anything out - you might need it someday and if I had put on the sound monitor for the pool house it would have set up an alarm here."

"So you were in on it?"

"My job was to keep you distracted, Did it work?" he said grinning.

Jordan spoke up. "Look we all know those two are meant to be together, but my sister is stubborn. She called me crying last week because Ben was starting to get serious with Stacy."

"No he wasn't, he was just trying to make Emily jealous, that was his plan all along." I said.

"Beautiful, how do you know that was his plan?"

"Because, that is what Ben and I came up with when she told him to move on and start dating. Stacy is the sister of Ben's associate."

We all looked at each other and started laughing.

Caleb looked at Jocelyn and said "You know you won't stand a chance when I make up my mind to marry you. I'll just get your whole family involved. Your father and my father finally related is a scary thought." Jocelyn looked up at him and laughed.

Angie walked in and said the Grandmas had dinner ready and we had better hightail it down to the house in the next five minutes.

Les and I stood back and watched the group run out.

"Do you think we should let Emily and Ben out of the pool house Beautiful?"

"What do you think Les?"

"Nah, come here and give me a kiss. What's going on with Jocelyn and Caleb?" He pulled me to him " I don't think I want to know what's going on with those two - I think I might hear the words soul mates and I don't think I want to know."

Xxxxxxxxxx

We thought when I expanded the kitchen and made a great room it would be big enough. Brian was working on plans to double it again and double the size of the Bed and Breakfast. Ella still insisted on running everything but she now had a staff. Louis, was busy in his greenhouses which now totaled ten. Skip, now eighty, had turned over the reins of his publishing company to Angie and he sat in his library and read in the winter and crabbed with Tank in the summer.

Vince and Jesse had six kids. Hector had watched Jenny leave the first year after college. He said she needed to spread her wings and he was holding her back. He was Lester and my best friend and it killed us to see his heart break. We were with him on the porch when a Harley pulled up and the rider pulled off their helmet, shook out their beautiful hair and asked Hector if he knew who could wash a girl's hair in a hospital bed. They were married one week later and they have two little girls and one little boy named Hector Jr. who at the age of six could throw a knife with pinpoint accuracy and they say the apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

Bobby is now the head of Emergency Care and Mary is head of the Urology Department. They have 3 sons, Mathew, Mark and Caleb.

Brett and Binkie own 5 Harley dealorships and are in a serious relationship - with each other.

Cal and Hal married identical twin sisters and live in a big house they built here on the property. No one ventures to speculate on the relationship between the couples that do _everything_ together.

Woody is still a bachelor who looks at Mary Alice with love in his eyes.

Manny and Ram are still bachelors who have never, as they tell Ella, found the right girls to bring home to her.

Hunter, is relaxing with the owner of 3 Starbuck franchises.

My father had called me about 5 years ago; he was entering a monastery and was taking a vow of silence.

My mother and sister were still committed together in a mental hospital.

Julie is the coordinator at University of Maryland in charge of Organ donors. She tells us that Ranger is engaged for the fifth time. She warned each fiancee not to plan a wedding because Ranger will be unfaithful. She actually gives this engagement a fair shot at ending up in marriage. The woman is Jeanne Ellen, Julie figures they are such miserable people with the inability of being faithful it will probably work.

Maria Manoso lives with Rafe and Beth and their little girl.

Ricardo Sr. passed away two years ago.

Silvio lives here and is still searching for his soul mate.

Tom and Janie got married and presented Ben with twin brothers.

John finally found his soul mate while we were on a parachute jump. She was supposed to jump tandem with her boyfriend who chickened out. John stepped up to be her partner. They have been married fifteen years and have twin girls. What is it with these Santos and twins?

Christmas carols were playing, there was much laughter and talking when the back door opened and Job 4 and Nix and Trouble 3 walked in with Ben and Emily.

"Hey Tank!" yelled Ben "Save June 5th on your calendar. Gorgeous and I need you to plan our wedding and we definitely need fireworks!"

I looked around at the love in this room and then I looked at my love. He wrapped me in his arms and I sang softly in his ear "The Nightingale"

"I'll love you forever, Les."

"I'll love you forever and ever Beautiful till the end of time."

The End


End file.
